Halo: The Bitter Wars
by sonicXben
Summary: After a long year of the Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic comes in contact with the biggest residents of the Unknown Regions: the UNSC and Sangheili. But instead of bringing the war closer to an end, this new contact will unleash old enemies upon the greater galaxy, making the Clone Wars even bloodier. What will happen? Rated M due to marine mouths and innuendos (You'll see soon).
1. Timeline

**AN: Someone told me that I would need a timeline, and quite frankly for future planning, I have decided to give you all just that. I hope you enjoy the timeline, and know that there are lots of major spoilers here. Just FYI. This will also mildly be a multiverse crossover since I threw the Aliens series in. I've always found that series and Halo to have uncanny resemblances.**

March 10th, 2080: The humans of Earth finally advance their technology enough to reach for the stars and begin colonizing other planets. Mars was the first, followed by the Jovian moons and other close worlds followed.

June 15th, 2160: The bitter Jovian Moons campaign ended, resulting in the collapse of the Unified German Republic.

December 21st, 2163: United Nations marines ambushed communist troops at Argyre Planitia and defeated them. While it showed the marine's effectiveness in combat, it showed that to keep the peace, a space-military organization representing Humanity's strength was required. Thus, the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) was created.

June 10th, 2180: A UNSC starship, the USS Sephora, is sent out to investigate the distress signal from another UNSC ship, the Sulaco, which went missing weeks before. Only 100 marines returned home, their ship destroyed after they were ambushed by mercenaries hired by the infamous Weyland-Yutani company, which was immediately dissolved once their actions reached the public. Even a new alien species was claimed to be discovered, but they were wiped from the forever desolate world of LV-426 before these claims could be investigated.

May 31st, 2182: All ship-assigned androids were considered obsolete, and scrapped. After experimenting with another retired company's revolutionary product: the first Artificial Intelligence, AIs were created and replaced the android's position on all starships.

January 20th, 2291: Humanity invents the slipspace drive, creating faster-than-light travel.

April 12th, 2310: It was official that Earth was overpopulated and over militarized. Using the newly created Shaw-Fujikawa Slipspace drive, colony ships were mass produced and even more worlds were colonized, giving birth to the Inner Colonies.

August 11th, 2490: Around 800 planets were colonized, ranging from mighty fortresses to tiny settlements. The Inner Colonies were the political and economic strongholds, although materials from the Outer Colonies were essential.

January 6th, 2506: It had become apparent that a massive rebellion against the UNSC was on the verge of occurring. The Office of Naval Intelligence attempted to quell the rebels, now dubbed the Insurrectionists, by creating the ORION Project, or the Spartan-I program, to create real super soldiers and using the most advanced military technology possible. However, expectations were not met and the ORION Project was canceled and their agents were transferred to other military fields of the UNSC.

September 14th, 2517: As a result of the failure of the Spartan-I Project, Dr. Catherine Halsey created the Spartan-II program to create the ultimate soldiers who would assist the UNSC in ending the Insurrection.

October 31th, 2524: A civilian freighter from Harvest, Horn of Plenty, encountered a Covenant ship. Despite Humanity's attempts to make peace with the aliens, the Covenant and UNSC fought on Harvest, and the UNSC lost. The Human-Covenant War had officially begun.

November 5th, 2525: Dr. Halsey used biological augmentation on her original 75 recruits for the Spartan-II program after years of training, but only 33 survive and as standard armor, they are given the newly invented Mjolnir Mk. IV armor.

January 2nd, 2536: Taking inspiration from the II's, the Spartan-III program was set in motion.

August 10th, 2536: The Covenant destroyed most of the UNSC Outer Colonies and began making their way into the Inner Colonies.

August 20th, 2552: No matter how hard the UNSC fought, the Covenant fought and managed to capture Reach within days and glass its surface.

August 22nd, 2552: The events at Halo Installation 04 occur. John-117, the Master Chief and Cortana, picking up any survivors of the attack and hijack a Covenant ship, heading to Reach and return to Earth with surviving Marines, Spartan-IIs and Dr. Halsey. They discover the largest ever seen Covenant fleet preparing to invade Earth and despite one of the Spartan-II's sacrificing their very life, the fleet is destroyed and delay the invasion of Earth.

August 23rd, 2552: The survivors return to Earth and warn the UNSC of the imminent invasion.

August 30th, 2552: The Battle of Earth begins.

August 30th, 2552: Master Chief finds Delta Halo, kills the Prophet of Regret and after uniting with the Arbiter, fight for their species' survival. In the process, Arbiter kills the Brute's chieftain Tartarus and prevent the ring from being fired.

December 12th, 2552: The Battle aboard Halo Installation 00, the Ark, occurs. Master Chief activates Halo 04B with a rescued Cortana's help and wipes the Flood from Earth. As a result of the firing before the ring could be stabilized, the Halo becomes unstable and blows up the ring and the Ark at the same time.

March 3rd, 2553: After decades of fighting, the Human-Covenant War ends. Over 25 billion humans lost their lives in the war and heavy losses for the other races occurred as well. Humans and Sangheili sign a peace treaty, uniting the 2 species. Humans start to break the glass on every former colony worlds and returning the planets to what they were like before their glassing as well as create the Spartan-IV program.

April 5th, 2553: The Swords of Sanghelios government was set up on Sanghelios. They discover that several small factions who hold on to Covenant beliefs are on Sanghelios and the Urs System.

June 10th, 2557: These factions of the former Covenant unite into the Covenant Storm, led by Jul 'Mdama. The Swords of Sanghelios engaged them in another war, with help from the UNSC.

December 1st, 2557: The Covenant Storm gained access to the Forerunner shield world of Requiem with the Master Chief's presence, despite his fighting against them.

December 2nd, 2557: The Storm awaken the Diadect, the last living Forerunner imprisoned on Requiem millennia before by the Librarian. He allied his Promethean forces with the Covenant and retrieved the Composer. In the end, he was killed by the Master Chief, but not before Cortana "died."

February 5th, 2558: UNSC and Covenant forces battled over control of Requiem, which ended in the world's destruction.

November 20th, 2558: Prometheans from Requiem betray the Covenant, allying themselves with Cortana and her goal to rule the galaxy. Only when Fireteam Osiris, led by Spartan Locke, and Blue Team, led by John-117, joined together, defeating Cortana and destroying most, if not all the Prometheans.

December 5th, 2558: In a large-scale battle between UNSC and Sangheili forces against Jul 'Mdama's forces around Earth in their attempt to capture the Infinity, the Covenant Storm's complete destruction resulted. Dr. Catherine Halsey betrayed the Covenant and killed Jul 'Mdama, but not before wounding her heavily. Before her death, Dr. Halsey gave John-117 the Covenant's half of the Janus Key. With Thel 'Vadam and Lord Terrence Hood at his side, he completed the Janus Key and unlocked the Absolute Record.

January 10th, 2559: Thanks to the Absolute Record, the UNSC and Sangheili started searching for Forerunner artifacts and setting up research facilities for experimenting with Forerunner technology, the most famous facility being the one on Halo Installation 07, led by famous human scientist Luther Mann. All new Spartan-IV teams were trained and equipped with the greatest technology and now they became tougher fighters than ever before, even the older teams were greater than they once were.

March 5th, 2560: After a year of peace, the UNSC and Sangheili agreed to use the Forerunner technology to massively advance their own technology and decided to begin a massive overhaul production of military hardware and grow their standing armies to the billions, out of paranoia another war like the Human-Covenant War will occur. Negotiations with UNSC colony worlds that somehow survived the Human-Covenant War and fell out of communication also began.

April 10th, 2580: After many years of peace, aside from the occasional Insurrectionist attack, the UNSC has returned to where they were before the Human-Covenant War, and their hardware was more advanced than before. Few human worlds, such as Mamore, had been unpleasant with their negotiations but most had agreed to return to being members of the UEG. Terraforming worlds for both humans and Sangheili had gone much smoother than either had expected. The other species returned to their normal lives and while they occasionally live in Sangheili colonies, most remained on their home worlds.

March 15th, 2582: Every outlet in the galaxy, both UNSC and Sangheili, received a transmission from an AI designated Epsilon about a long forgotten UNSC world called Chorus and the great UNSC war heroes who were on the planet. Charon Industries were run out of business as a result, and their chairman, Malcolm Hargrove, was given a life sentence in a maximum-security prison.

October 19th, 2582: The UNSC come in contact with the planet of Chorus, and despite the negotiations being a little rocky, the UNSC agreed to help the Chorusans reestablish order on their world, build a new capitol city, new fortresses and cities, as well as allow the Chorusans to keep every single piece of Forerunner technology on their planet in exchange for joining the new government setup of the UEG.

January 2nd, 2583: Present time.


	2. Chapter 1: The Fateful Encounter

**January 2nd**

 **2583**

 **12:00 pm UNSC time**

 **Gamma Station, orbiting Reach**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

Three decades.

It has been 3 long decades since the UNSC and the Swords of Sanghelios signed a peace treaty, uniting the 2 sides and officially ending the bitter Human-Covenant War. The other species that composed the former Covenant Empire went their separate ways and have returned to their normal lives, despite some holding on to the old beliefs and forming the Covenant Storm. Since the treaty's signing, many conflicts arose, but none have even come close to the Human-Covenant War's destruction.

Together, Humanity and the Sangheili began building new colonies on worlds around the galaxy and diplomatic relationships with the surviving planets had started. Even though said relationships are still very rocky, with some planets being outright nasty, there is still lots of hope for putting their past quarrels behind them and starting a better future.

In addition, the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios spent this era of peace rebuilding their fleets, returning them to where they were before the Human-Covenant War, and even greater. With the help of the now-deceased Dr. Halsey, they found and put together the 2 halves of the Janus Key, unlocking the map that reveals the location of every piece of Forerunner technology in the galaxy. Thanks to the map, the UNSC in all its military branches and Sangheili have recovered and reverse engineered the Forerunner's technology to make them truly formidable. To top it all off, the UEG and Swords of Sanghelios came to many agreements and the respect each species has for the other makes them a more settled and powerful system than either would do by themselves.

But now, they shall learn if their technology, powers and unity have come far enough.

One of the hundreds of ships in the area, docked at Gamma Station for fueling up and boarding, is the Stalwart-class frigate 'Argo', a ship that has military power, but has also been renovated so now it focuses on navigating and exploring uncertain territories. These renovations are vital for the mission this ship is about to go on.

Two days before, when the ONI decided to try and experiment with the range of their newly upgraded communication technology, they discovered coded transmissions. While they couldn't translate what the messages said, they were undeniable proof. There is more life out there, beyond their own galaxy. So, at the annual meeting of leaders on New Year's Day at Earth, the leader of Humanity, Madam President Michelle Peterson, and the leader of the Sangheili, Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, agreed to send out a UNSC ship to investigate who sent those signals and find out if they are anything like the Covenant.

After a considerable amount of time, its crew of 200 are all aboard the ship, supplies loaded, and ready to go. Accompanying them on this mission is Spartan-IV Fireteam Osiris, in case things get really messy. While the team has lost some members, it gained new ones from younger people eager to serve the UNSC. It took years of missions, along with extra-difficult training and discipline, but the team has learned how to work together efficiently, making them even greater than before.

At the bridge of the ship is Captain Reginald Quince, who has the standard UNSC Captain suit on. He is a tall man who is in his mid-20's, with a strong build, short black hair and electric blue eyes. He is observing the technicians as they operate the holographic controls of the ship.

"Sir. Shields are at 100% and the nuclear fusion reactor is as stable as it will ever be." The voice of Segata, the shipboard AI, said to the Captain, then appears on the terminal to Reginald's right. Segata looks like a Japanese man with traditional karate white robes and a black belt around his waist.

"Alrighty, then! Let's set the forward thrusters to 75%, activate those slipspace drives and see what awaits us." Reginald said, his firm British accent to be heard around the room.

The Heads of the various areas of the ship nod in response, then get to work, sending out messages to the rest of the ship and gearing the ship up. Within minutes, the ship pulls away from Gamma Station and turns around. After a few more seconds, the ship takes off at tremendous speeds, with a white slipspace portal appearing before them and shallowing the ship whole. Despite a little shaking, the ship held together and traveled at speeds faster than light.

After 2 long hours pass in slipspace, the ship shudders greater than the first time, but not horribly. Suddenly, the Head of Navigation speaks up. "Captain, we've made it. We're out of our galaxy."

"Pull us out of slipspace." Reginald orders firmly, watching the grey field of swirling lights.

"Yes sir! Pulling us out of slipspace now." Segata said, then sent the messages to the engine crew. The ship finally starts to slow down and they leave slipspace. Once the ship completely pulls out, they find a barren, rocky looking planet with star charts none of the crew have ever seen before.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen. We made it." Reginald said, releasing a sigh of relief he never knew he held.

"Captain, look in front of you. I think you're going to find it interesting." Jameson Locke, head of Spartan IV Fireteam Osiris, said, looking straight ahead.

Reginald looks forward to see what the Spartan's talking about, and nearly chokes on his spit. He sees 2 entire armies closer than he would like battling with each other, shooting what looks like beams of light at each other. With a jolt, the crew realizes those lights are lazers. Reginald muses on these events for a few moments before coming to a solution. "Strange. We need to make contact with at least one of those groups ASAP. See what we have thrown ourselves into." But before anyone can figure out what needs to be done next, all the lights on the ship go out. "What the hell's going on?"

"[Sir. We pushed our experimental slipspace drives too hard too fast. We have temporarily lost power.]" Martin Rodriguez, the Hispanic Head of Engineering, said in perfect French, a tribute to the fact he also has Canadian heritage. Sadly, he can't speak any other languages for the moment.

"What did he say, Deacons?" Reginald asks, impatience getting the better of him.

"He said that we pushed our drives too hard and that we're experiencing a power outage." Nami Deacons, the Greek orange-haired Head of Navigation, translates for her best friend quickly. The one thing they all have learned pretty much the only thing their Captain absolutely hates is being kept in the dark about important details for anything.

"Well then, gather every single one of our technicians on board and get the damn power back online. Spartan Locke, get your Fireteam and go into the hold. You're going to make sure the weapons systems are the first thing to function and ready to fire at a moment's notice." Reginald said to Locke. The Spartan nods in understanding, putting his helmet back on, and he makes his way through the long, winding corridors.

* * *

 **20 BBY**

 **2:30 pm UNSC time**

 **Galactic Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer 'Warhead', orbiting Esfandia**

* * *

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is dismayed to say the least.

He, accompanied by Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his padawan Ahsoka Tano, are leading a series of 30 Venator and Acclamator-class warships to push the fleet of CIS ships off of Esfandia, a barren world the Republic wants so they can finally start exploring the Unknown Regions and figure out why every explorer that tries to enter that region never comes back.

The battle is going smoothly until one of the clones shouts up to Obi-Wan. "Sir, we're detecting some kind of disturbance. Whatever it is, it isn't hyperspace travel."

That caught Obi-Wan's attention and he asks, "Where is this disturbance coming from?"

"About 300 klicks off our port side." The clone answers.

"Turn us to that area. I want to see who our new guests are." Obi-Wan says. Upon his orders, his ship was turned 45 degrees to the left. Apparently, all of the other ships learned of the abnormality as well, since Obi-Wan briefly saw the other ships turning in the same direction.

What met Obi-Wan's eyes left him dismayed. In the middle of space is the strangest ship he'd ever seen. It's long and brown, with the front of the ship looking suspiciously like a cannon. Judging by how it's just floating in space, the ship has lost power. Although the side of the ship is clearly seen, showing off its impressive size, a strange symbol of an avian creature holding a planet with the letters UNSC printed underneath, and the ship's name next to it: 'Argo.'

"Master, are you seeing this?" Anakin's voice asks over the communication system.

"I am, Anakin. I must say, this development is rather interesting." Obi-Wan answers, still staring at the ship.

"Do you think they are working with the Separatists?" Ahsoka asks, concern in her voice.

"I don't know, but we're about to find out." Kenobi replies, then cuts the communication lines. He then extends his senses via the Force to examine the ship and see who or what is on-board. To his shock he senses…nothing. Before he can ponder on what this means, the lights on the ship come back on, illuminating the ship that is giving Obi-Wan the impression that it was built for war.

Many moments pass in silence and still, waiting for who breaks the ice first.

* * *

 **20 BBY**

 **2:30 pm UNSC time**

 **CIS Providence-class Destroyer 'Banker', orbiting Esfandia**

* * *

On-board one of the newest Providence warships produced in the CIS is the commander of the fleet, Lok Durd, a Neimoidian who was sent with his newest starship to capture Esfandia and using it as a fueling station, finally start exploring the Unknown Regions for anything that can bring the CIS's war with the Republic to an end.

But when he got there, he found that the Republic had the same idea and given the 2-side's hostility, no words were exchanged before they started fighting.

It would have gone well, but with the infernal Jedi, the worst being Skywalker and his padawan, he started losing the fight rather quickly. Now, that strange and in Durd's opinion ugly, ship appeared out of literally nowhere. How they got here was most likely by a lightspeed method few have heard of. "Sir, what do we do about that ship? It isn't on any records." A battle droid pilot asks his commander.

The battle droids are just machines, so they can't register shock or awe, but they are still surprised by the unexpected arrival. Lok Durd thought for a few seconds on the new arrivals and makes a decision. "Hail them. I want to know who they are." Durd orders.

The battle droid next to him nods and starts work on it. Suddenly, the lights flare up on the other ship and the blue holographic projection of a tall man in a military uniform appears. "Greetings, I am Reginald Quince of the UNSC. May I ask who you are?" he asks in accented Basic.

The calm tone in his voice made Durd a little irritated and after trying to make himself look intimidating, makes his statement, "I am Lok Durd of Confederacy of Independent Systems. If you are from the Unknown Regions, then surrender your ship now or you will be blown to pieces."

Reginald looks confused for a second, then frowns deeply and looks down at the Neimoidian. "You think I'll just surrender my people to you without a fight? I've seen your type, and know that you're the worst brand of coward. If you want a fight, you're sure as hell getting one. See you later, 'Turd.'" With that, the transmission cuts off.

Lok Durd is in shock. Never has anyone spoken to him that, and that word 'turd.' Whatever that meant, it was obviously an insult. That transformed Lok's shock into hatred for this 'UNSC.' "Keep the Republic busy. I want all the Providence ships attacking that newcomer now. Set turbolazers to full charge and prepare boarding parties. We will kill the crew and take the ship for the CIS." His tone is steady, but full of hate. The droids immediately leap into action, carrying out the general's orders.

* * *

 **Galactic Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer 'Warhead', orbiting Esfandia**

* * *

After mere moments of silence, the stalemate breaks, and the remaining 5 Providence-class destroyers start flying right at the strange ship, their fleets keeping the Republic's forces occupied. The Providence destroyers start firing at the strange ship, but are missing. Before Kenobi or anyone else can suggest a new course of action, the most unexpected thing happens. The very front of the ship starts glowing white, then a beam of pure white energy rockets towards the Providence destroyers. What shocks and amazes all of the Republicans* is that this beam pierces the Providence ship's energy shields like they're warm cheese and punches through 2 of the ships at the same time. Their reactors immediately go critical, followed by both ships exploding in large balls of fire.

There is another pause in the ship's assault before the rest of the CIS fighters return to the 3 remaining Providence destroyers, which are now trying to flee as quickly as possible, the strange ship firing their strange weaponry on them and damaging the CIS ships considerably. As soon as all of the droid fighters are on board, the destroyers enter hyperspace and leave the battle they have sorely lost.

"Sir. The unknown ship is hailing us." One of the clone technicians said to Kenobi.

"Answer it."

The clone nods and hits the right buttons, and on the projection table, a tall man with short hair and wearing a military formfitting suit appears, hands behind his back. "Greetings. My name is Reginald Quince, Captain of the UNSC starship 'Argo.' May I know who you are, and have a nicer answer than your opponent gave?" he asks in Basic, a strange accent evident in his voice, staring at the group warily as if expecting one of them to attack him or act suspiciously.

The clones start looking at each other, confused. They have never heard of a 'UNSC' before now. Even Obi-Wan is confused, but he doesn't show it. "Very well, you may. I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master and General of the Grand Army of the Galactic Republic. I assume that you are not allied with the CIS?" Obi-Wan asks, just to be absolutely sure.

"Allied with that shithead? He tried to intimidate me into surrendering my ship and crew, and look where that got him. No, I won't prod those assholes with a 39-and-a-half-foot pole."

Obi-Wan strokes his beard in thought. This is a government from the Unknown Regions, so the Senate would most likely want to meet the heads of this 'UNSC' and whoever they are allied with, but should he bring them to the Republic's headquarters? Obi-Wan then reminded himself that they are not with the CIS. If anything, they are already enemies of the CIS, so for now, it's a safe bet to say they are friendly. "Of course. I would like you to come with us to our home planet, Corusant. The Galactic Senate would be most eager to meet you. If you do come with us, I promise full protection of your people and property."

The Captain, Reginald, let out a sigh of relief. "Agreed. I'll put my leaders on speaker and you chaps lead the way. Cheerio." With that, the transmission cut off.

"General, what do you make of this first contact?" A clone asks, sounding anxious.

Obi-Wan briefly thinks about it, and only 1 thing comes to mind. "I believe…that the Clone Wars will forever be changed." He answers as he watches the Republic fighters returning to their respective ships.

* * *

 _AN:_ So, this is a new story, and my take on a Halo and Star Wars crossover.

I have been looking forward to working on this for a while, and have an idea on how it's going to go, while using both Star Wars and Halo lore. To clear up any confusion, the Halo Galaxy composes the entire Unknown Regions, which is surrounded by a weak magnetic field that kept them apart for so long.

*No, I am not talking about the American Republican party. I am not sure how to refer to all those loyal to the Galactic Republic, Jedi, clones and everyone else, so in this story, they will collectively be referred to as Republicans.

PS: If you got all the references I put in this chapter, you're pretty good.

I will see you next time when things get heated up.


	3. Chapter 2: A Mistaken Strike

**March 10** **th**

 **2583/20 BBY**

 **10:30 am UNSC time**

 **Galactic Republic Acclamator-class star ship**

 **Orbiting Esfandia**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

Over 2 months had passed since the Galactic Republic fateful encounter with the UNSC.

A temporary alliance was set up with the UEG and their most trusted allies, the Sangheili race and negotiations to make their teamwork even greater had started. However, talks with governments they just discovered can't slow down the Grand Army of the Republic in their goal to defeat the CIS.

Admiral Wullf Yularen, who is leading a fleet of 10 Venator-class Star Destroyers, leave from the newly established fortress world of Esfandia. Another Republic fleet and found and attacked a CIS fleet in the Gradilis System, but they successfully fled the Republic and entered the Unknown Regions, now called UNSC space.

"Alright, clones. Here's our mission the Chancellor has given us. We jump into UNSC space, destroy the fleet that fled into their space and leave as soon as possible. No matter what our opinions of the UNSC and Sangheili are, they will not take our entry into their space without authorization lightly." Yularen said over the speaker system and projections so the entire fleet could hear his words.

He knew that the clones, even Commander Fil who is accompanying him on this mission, have a very low opinion of them, just because they use their primitive slug throwers or crude plasma technology. But Yularen was not of the same opinion. He heard rumors of the destruction they were capable of, and that alone made him very uneasy about doing their mission they were assigned.

Without another word, the clones start operating the ships and calling up various status reports on the ship and its condition. But the last one is the most important. "Sir, our hyper drives are ready to go."

"Right. Men, hit the hyper drives." Yularen orders, then watches as the clones' act on the orders. Within seconds, the ships start speeding up and the familiar sight of hyperspace meets their eyes. Now that Yularen thought about it, he secretly wondered which are more efficient: Their hyperdrives or the UNSC and Sangheili's famous "slip space" drives.

Two entire hours pass in silence, the crew ensuring the ship holds together, before it starts rocking heavily. Yularen took it as a good sign, meaning that they have entered UNSC/Sangheili space. "Sir. The homing beacon planted on our missing enemy fleet is pinging. We've found them."

Admiral Yularen smiles in triumph. "Excellent. Send the word across all of our ships and pull us out of hyperspace."

"Yes sir!" The clones chorus then start operating their various stations. All at once, the 10 Acclamator-class star ships pull out of hyperspace and return to normal space.

The planet they found themselves at is truly amazing. It is large and dark red, as if the whole surface is made of red sand and green oceans on its surface. But the amazing part is that a dozen of the Sangheili Carriers are engaged in combat with 2 surviving CIS Providence-class Destroyers, and the Sangheili are obviously winning, evidenced by the massive amounts of CIS ship guts flying around.

"Come on, men. Let's assist our allies and take out that ship. All ships, prepare to prime the missile launchers, then fire on my mark." Yularen said sternly, his last sentence said over the comm lines between the ships. The minutes' pass in tension as the missiles are put into the built-in launchers. As they are being loaded, the CIS ships finally take notice of the Republic's presence and start aiming their cannons towards them.

"Sir, their cannons are pointing towards us. What do we do?" One of the clones asks.

"All clones on deck, fire the lazer cannons, just do anything to but us time so we can hit them with our missiles." Yularen orders over the ship speakers. The clones in the main bow of the ship jump on the orders, and start firing back on the CIS, but they are much weaker after fighting the Sangheili Carriers, who are still firing on the CIS's remaining ships. After another few seconds, Yularen hears those sweet words.

"Sir, all missiles are loaded and ready."

"Fire!" Yularen shouts, staring at the battle with his hands behind his back. Within seconds, blue streaks of light start flying towards the CIS ships. All of them strike the 2 weakened ships, causing them to finally up. Three torpedoes fly towards the same spot and impact at the same time, causing an even greater explosion. Over the communication system, the clones and even Commander Fil cheers in triumph over their victory. "Men, mission accomplished. Let's inform the Republic about our victory." Yularen said, letting out a sigh of relief. At least nothing bad happened on this mission, he thought to himself as the ships entered hyperspace and left UNSC/Sangheili space. Even though he was sure deep down that their interference in foreign space might have consequences.

* * *

 **2583**

 **12:40 pm UNSC time**

 **UNSC Transport ship, 'Titanic 2'**

 **Pegasi Delta**

* * *

What Yularen didn't know was that he was right in that the Republic's assault already has consequences.

For when the 3 Republic torpedoes hit the CIS ship, the 1st one penetrates the ship while the 2 others fly right through the hole made and hit an unsuspecting UNSC transport ship, which landed here due to a malfunctioning slip space drive, and decided to assist the Sangheili here in obliterating the CIS fleet, which appeared and began invading.

Once the UNSC ship was hit, it temporarily lost power and in a moment, it was caught in the planet's gravity and pulled towards the planet's surface. After many tense minutes, the ship crashes on its side into the planet's surface, kicking up red sand and creating an earthquake that rumbled and destroyed a nearby Sangheili plasma factory. Suddenly, the sides of the door burst open and a bunch of marines climb out, helping each other out. The last ones to climb out are a bunch of armored soldiers of different colors who were being transported from an Outer Colony world. "What in Sam Hill happened?" Sarge asks in his usual gruff voice. He was promoted to Colonel during the battles on Chorus and saving the planet. The UNSC were so happy with their great heroes and what they did that he, along with the rest of Red team, Blue team, Doc, Lopez, even Agents Carolina and Washington, were allowed to keep the military ranks they were given during the battles on Chorus and the 2 agents were given full pardons, even though they were part of a now outlawed organization. They were supposed to be transported back to Earth as heroes, but the ship's slip space drive malfunctioned and landed them in this mess.

"A giant blue ball flew at us before blowing up. I wanted to play with that ball, too." Captain Michael J. Caboose said in his usual childish tone.

"No, numbnuts. It's who had the audacity to actually hit us?" Sarge said, sounding gruffer than ever.

"It was those Republic assholes we've heard about who intervened in the fight. I saw them launch those missiles and hit us." Captain Lavernius Tucker Sr. said.

"Are you serious? I've gotta say, you have good eyes." Agent Washington said, honestly somewhat impressed with Tucker's eyesight.

"Yeah, I need good eyesight because back in my days at Blood Gulch, I never got to use the fucking sniper rifle that Church hogged. The one time I did get to use it, I accidentally shot Tex in her ass. Bow chicka bow wow." Tucker responds.

"Wait, seriously?" Carolina asks, shock and mild amusement in her voice at hearing such an event occurring.

"What I want to know," Captain Richard 'Dick' Simmons pipes up, "is how a state-of-the-art navigation system on a brand new transportation ship that should have prevented us from crashing like this failed."

"You just answered your own question, Simmons." Captain Dexter Grif answers gruffly. "Besides, I'm sure none of us are responsible for it."

* * *

 **Flashback**

 **UNSC Transport ship, 'Titanic 2'**

 **12:35 pm UNSC time**

 **Orbiting Pegasi Delta**

* * *

The ship is in chaos as the marines aboard the Titanic 2 are firing their cannons against the CIS ships.

Suddenly, the ship starts rocking back and forth, which meant only one thing. The ship was hit and the lights flickered. Suddenly, the ship starts pulling back. The Head of Navigation realized that with the moment of power loss, the Titanic 2 is being pulled towards the planet. As quickly as possible, he runs to his work station to stabilize the ship. Only to see the most horrifying thing imaginable in any situation.

His equipment is sputtering and sparking dangerously, liquid seeping over the controls and a can of soda on its side. "Oh my god! Who put their soda on my work station?" He shouts in shock.

"You asshole. You spilled my damn soda!" Grif said, running up to the Head of Navigation. Before he could sputter and ask if Grif was crazy, the ship bucked violently again, causing both of them to crash to the ground, giving the Head of Navigation a concussion.

* * *

 **Present Time**

* * *

"Well, it doesn't matter. We need to alert the UEG and the Arbiter about what has just happened as soon as possible." Wash said matter-of-factly, then adds, "As for how we leave. I have no clue."

"I can help with that." A voice said. All of the Humans turn around and look at Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum approaching, an escort of Sangheili at his side. "I too have seen those Republic scum attack your ship and nearly killed several of our people who were working at the nearby factory. Come aboard my ship, and we will return you to Earth to deliver this news."

The Humans look at each other for a second before nodding in consent. Just then, all of the Sangheili Carriers flying overhead appear a beam of light comes to life on the bottom of the ships. All of the Sangheili and Humans simultaneously fly up into the ships. Once inside Rtas 'Vadum makes his way to the bridge of his ship and calls to his crew. "Heed my words. The Republic has stomped on our alliance and attacked our people. We must make haste and hold an emergency meeting for the Swords of Sanghelios and UEG on Earth." Rtas announced to his crew as he sat down in his shipmaster's chair.

The crew, knowing what to do, start operating their holographic stations and priming the ships. "What about the humans on the other ships?" Wash asks.

"They will be returned to human colony worlds. But we have the mission." Rtas responds then continues watching as the ship enters slip space and after 2 more hours of travel, pull out. When they do, they find themselves in front of the human homeworld of Earth. The many defensive stations orbit the planet ready for any enemy fleet to approach.

"Greetings my friends. Shipmaster, please state your name and why you're here." A voice with a slight German accent to it said.

"I am Rtas 'Vadum and I have an important message to deliver to the Swords of Sanghelios and UEG." Rtas said calmly.

"Oh yeah. The emergency meeting has already started and they are waiting anxiously for you. Welcome to Earth, my friends." The voice said then cut out. While on the 2-hour trip, Rtas contacted the Arbiter himself to call an emergency meeting as events have gone down involving their newfound neighbors. Another event on the flight was that Wash and Carolina tried and miraculously succeeded in keeping the Reds and Blues from doing anything stupid aside from just standing around and talking. Soon, Rtas's ship flies down and enters Earth's atmosphere. After another couple of tense minutes, they land in a UNSC landing dock. The main crew remains on the ship while Rtas and the Blood Gulch Crew exit the ship.

"Greetings. The Heads of our governments are waiting for you. Follow me and I shall take you to them." A Marine in full body armor said to them. Rtas nods and walks behind the man with the Blood Gulch Crew in tow.

"Guys. Can you believe this? We get to meet the madam president." Doc said enthusiastically.

"[Only you would get excited about shit like that.]" Lopez mutters.

"Why do we have to meet the women? I've told Dad all my life that all I want to be is a mathlete." Simmons said as they follow single file. They leave the underground fueling station and head up the winding concrete staircases towards the surface. Once they reach the top, the gleaming tall and futuristic buildings of New York surround them. They head to a cable car which takes them to the remodeled Empire State Building.

Carolina stares out at the peaceful city, but instead of taking in the scenery, she has flashbacks of the battle at the former Chorus capitol city of Armonia. The trip doesn't last that long before they are inside and board the levitating elevators that take them to the top floors. The trip passes in silence until they reach the 2nd to top floor, where a giant conference room is set out at. There, all of the heads of the UEG are present and even the leaders of the Swords of Sanghelios are present. Including an aqua-colored alien Tucker knows all too well. "Hey Junior. How are you?" Tucker asks his son Junior.

"Good, Dad." Junior responds, but Mitchelle Peterson cuts off any more talk.

"Greetings Shipmaster Rtas and welcome to New York. I must say, I am honored to also meet the great heroes who brought Project Freelancer to justice and saved an entire planet. But now, to business. Why have you called us here for an emergency meeting rather than just using our communication technology to inform us about what happened?" She asks in a calm manner.

"Madam President, I didn't want to just use communication technology to speak to you all in case our transmissions got intercepted. We may have had massive upgrades in technology, but that doesn't make us invincible. No, why I asked to see you all is to inform you that the Republic has betrayed us." Rtas answers darkly and a hint of anger in his voice.

Several members look shocked at the words that were spoken. "Tell me. What do you have to back up such claims?" Arbiter Thel 'Vadam asks coldly.

"OH! What are we claiming? Candy?" Caboose asks eagerly.

"No Caboose. Anyway, as for the proof, we have it all recorded here." Carolina said, then took out a thumbdrive taken from the Titanic 2. She then inserts it into the slot and a holographic projection of the video appears. It shows the ships engagement with the remaining CIS fleet. Things are going well, until a fleet of 10 of the Republic's Venator Star Destroyers appear and start firing on the CIS. Several of their shots impact the Titanic 2, causing it to crash into Pegasi Delta's surface. The video ends.

Thel 'Vadam is almost at the breaking point in rage, seeing these events occur. "They must be punished for treachery like this."

"I promise you, Arbiter, they will. Even if it was probably an accidental shot, them illegally entering our territory and destroying one of our ships must be punished." Peterson answers, looking deeply troubled.

"Agreed. Rtas, I give you full approval to take a fleet of ships and destroy those traitors." Thel says to his old friend. Then adds, "Also, since the rest of you were involved in these events, I would like your assistance in this mission. Do you accept?"

The Blood Gulch crew looks at each other before nodding. Suddenly, Wash gets an idea. "Yes we do. However, we know of a powerful frigate ship that's crashed in the Outer Colonies. Just rebuild and refit it with new technology and it will help you in this assault."

"Wash, what are you doing?" Carolina asks, confusion in her voice.

"Alright. I'm listening. Which planet is this ship on?" Peterson also asks.

"This ship is crashed on an ice world called Sidewinder." Wash said, smiling under his helmet. Time to give an old ship a new purpose.

* * *

 _AN:_ So, the Republic has accidentally aggravated the UNSC and Sangheili, who want revenge.

Will they succeed?

Find out next time when the wars start getting even more dangerous.


	4. Chapter 3: Revenge

**March 24** **th**

 **2583**

 **12:00 pm UNSC time**

 **UNSC Charon-class light frigate 'Mother of Invention'**

 **Orbiting Reach**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

An entire 2 weeks passed since the incident involving the destruction of the 'Titanic 2.'

Since then, the UEG and Swords of Sanghelios have been not only tracking down the treacherous fleet that illegally entered UNSC space without permission, but also salvaging the Mother of Invention from Sidewinder and adding new technology to the mix, making the former headquarters for Project Freelancer even more formidable. On that mission, they discover a highly classified base of operations for Project Freelancer, but agreed to not worry about it until the current mess with the Republic is dealt with. The Mother of Invention, along with 5 Sangheili CAS-class assault carriers led by Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum will be demolishing the fleet and confiscating some of the Republic's intel for breaking the treaty between the UEG, Swords of Sanghelios and the Galactic Republic.

Madam President Peterson and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam agreed during the 2 weeks that all-out war with the Republic was unnecessary. After all, you can't punish a whole organization just because one of their members got careless and destroyed a UNSC ship transporting famous heroes. When word spread of what happened, the public was angry to say the least, but their anger was curbed, albeit barely.

But now, the ships are ready. The CAS Carriers are above Reach, near Gamma Station, where the Mother of Invention is getting loaded up with everything, from food to weapons and armored vehicles. A large squad of marines and even some red and blue squads rescued from their outposts were assigned to the ship, given the standard white armor of the frigate as a sign of being a part of the ship. The ship is now led by the Blood Gulch crew, now dubbed Purple Team. As a precaution, the UNSC assigned Reginald Quince as a 2nd Colonel to the ship to help Sarge come up with competent battle strategies while his 2nd-in-command took over, being promoted to Captain in the process. Quince was moved from the Argo to here since Quince was once a member of a Blue squad at Rat's Nest before the Meta killed them and he got transferred to a UNSC ship, thus giving him experience in tolerating and dealing with idiots.

Within 15 minutes, the Mother of Invention departs from Gamma Station and meets up with their Sangheili ships. Just then, Rtas comes up on a communication system on the Mother of Invention.

"Greetings, Shipmaster. Our chaps are ready to go." Quince says to Rtas, nodding his head to the Shipmaster.

"Good. Soon those traitors who look down on us for our weaponry will know what true warfare looks like." Rtas said.

"Spoken like a true warrior. Let's kick their asses and bathe in their blood for messing with my team, those Blues and the former Freelancers. Unless we're talking about Grif, in which case, you can just laugh at his screaming. That lazy bastard needs a knocking around once in a while to keep him hard." Sarge adds, his shotgun in his hand.

Rtas looks a little disturbed by Sarge's enthusiastic tone after what he just said, but nods in agreement. "Very well. Let's begin the battle." The transmission cuts off.

Quince then walks towards the loudspeakers and activates it. "All crew of the Mother of Invention, prepare to enter slipspace and prime all cannons for battle." He then turns off the loudspeaker.

"Here we go again." Agent Carolina said, staring out at space from the bridge.

The Frigate maneuvers next to the CAS Carriers, and simultaneously, speed up and enter slip space.

* * *

 **20 BBY**

 **12:20 pm UNSC time**

 **Galactic Republic Acclamator-class star ship**

 **Around Mon Calamari**

* * *

Meanwhile, the Republic fleet of 10 Venators and 1 Acclamator ship were engaged in combat with a CIS fleet of 20 ships, made up of inferior class star ships that were sent by General Grevious to re-establish a fortress there and with time, reclaim the planet they tried conquering, and would have had Jedi Kit Fisto not interferred.

But after hours of battling, the CIS ships are now down to 10 ships while the Republic only lost 4 Venators. The clone pilots and Vulture droids are also firing at each other, while the cannons on the ships on the 2 sides shot at each other. "We have to keep going at this rate. The Republic must stop the CIS at all costs. Have all fighters evade and start taking our ship's cannons to put some pressure on those Vultures." Yularen said.

"Yes sir!" A clone responds, then starts relaying the orders to the fighters. Then, another clone calls up on another report. "Sir! Heat signatures about 20 klicks on our starboard bow!"

"Who could it be?" Commander Fil asks, standing next to him.

"Turn our ship to that sector. I want to see who it is." Yularen tells to the clone operators. They comply and begin turning the ship to that direction. What they witness is truly stunning. A single streak of white light is flying at the CIS ship and once it hits a CIS ship, punches through it even with shields up like they're made of wet paper. It passes through so easily that it come out the other end and punches through another 2 ships. Both of them explode, making all of the ships rock uncontrollably. Yularen even staggered to make sure that he remains on his feet.

"Who fired that shot?" Fil demands, getting anxious and a little unnerved at the firepower of whoever made that shot.

"Sir. The UNSC and some Sangheili warships have come." A clone calls up, sounding nervous.

"What? How can you be sure it's those primitives?" Fil asks, now a hint of fear in his voice if it's really them. In answer, more blasts go off towards the CIS and 6 ships that definitely belong to the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios come into their view. The UNSC ship, apparently called the 'Mother of Invention' starts firing guns on each side, tearing through dozens of Vulture droids at a time while the Sangheili ships start firing their plasma shots at the CIS ships, which are standing little to no chance against. The parts and carcasses of the enemy ships and fighters are floating dead everywhere, but the 2 allies push on. Until the remaining 2 ships turn around quickly and flee into hyperspace. Just then the 6 ships turn towards the Republic and face them. Yularen can't help but feel a little bit scared and suspicious at what's going on. Scared that he finally got to see the UNSC and Sangheili fight and isn't looking forward to fighting them, not to mention how the ships seem to be leering at them. Yet he feels suspicious as to why they are here and why they felt the need to interfere in a battle he had a firm grasp on.

"Sir. One of those ugly Sangheili ships and the UNSC ship are hailing us. Shall I answer them?" A clone next to the communication table calls to Fil and Yularen.

"Yes, do so. I want to know why they are here." Yularen orders the clone, who makes the necessary preparations.

"I don't like this." Fil says while the preparations are being made. But a second later, 3 people appear on the holo-table. Two of them are humans, one of them being the first UNSC Captain the Republic ever met, Reginald Quince, and a red-armored man holding a shotgun in his hands. But the 3rd being is a Sangheili in white armor, with 2 of its right mandibles missing.

"Greetings to the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios. I have to wonder: Why are you all the way out here?" Yularen asks the trio, not really liking the way they are looking at him.

"Admiral Yularen. I am Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum, my allies her Sarge and you probably heard of Reginald Quince. As for why we are here, you have betrayed our people, and thus, you and your ships shall burn. Even if you have more ships than us, that only evens the odds. Now, you shall see what a true battle looks like."

"Have fun getting blown to bits, dipshits. Men, let 'er rip." The red-armored man, now name Sarge, said before the transmission cuts off.

"Sir! Their guns are warming up again. They are about to fire!" A clone shouts in panic.

To say Yularen is shocked, confused and outraged at the accusations of betraying the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios is a major understatement. He shall investigate why this is when this rogue fleet is obliterated. "Take all of our deflector shields and put them to the front of our ships to withstand their shots. Send our fighters and see if they can do some damage to those ships so we can destroy them." He said quickly.

The clones jump on the orders, priming the deflector shields to the front. Just in time as a barrage of Sangheili plasma shots hit the shields, weakening the shields but not destroying them while another one of those white beams flies from the UNSC ship, tearing through a single Venator, and crippling the systems of a 2nd. Said ship now flies in space helpless. "Scramble all fighters and send them out! Get those missiles primed and fire them at will." Yularen orders again. Within minutes, the fighters leave his Acclamator ship and fly at the enemy fleet. They turn sideways and rain down a barrage of sidearm fire, wiping out a considerable number of fighters. Then to the clone's horror, the hatches open up and their own fighters fly out to take care of the survivors.

'If only Anakin Skywalker was with us.' Fil thought bitterly, watching as several UNSC Saber-class fighters and the Sangheili's Phantoms tear through the clone fighters. The Hero without Fear would definitely turn the tides of this battle, mainly because it's pretty obvious that each of their fighters have experience in brutal dogfights, certainly much more than the clones who have only been in battles for a year. Although they do manage to destroy some fighters, it isn't enough. Just then, Yularen and Fil hear the report they wanted to hear.

"Sirs. All missiles loaded up and ready to go."

"Fire!" Fil orders. The order is relayed and within seconds, streaks of light fly towards the other fleet. But to their horror, they explode on the ships but no damage whatsoever is done.

"Sir. No damage has occurred on the ships." A clone shouts up, stating what was just observed.

"We just need to hammer them harder. Fire the turbolazers." Yularen then orders, wondering what they might do next. All around him, the Sangheili plasma shots begin destroying the deflector shields and damaging the Venators. Then the enemy ships start maneuvering in a strange matter. Two Sangheili Carriers fly right at 2 Venators and hitting them, while firing their side weapons at the other Venators, further damaging them. The respective star ships the Carriers smash into start flying towards other ships and destroying more ships in the process. Meanwhile the Mother of Invention starts flying at the Acclamator. Despite the Acclamator's turbolazers, the frigate flies right towards them before turning to where it's parallel to Yularen's ship. To his shock, giant tubes jut out of the (in his opinion) tacky ship and touch the Acclamator ship.

"Fil, prepare the troops. We're being boarded." Yularen orders, still holding on to hope that he might win this fight. He then walks to the holo-table and starts recording. At the very least, he'll have data on how they fight. Their definition of 'a true battle' is far more brutal than the Admiral's used to. The screen pulls up and shows off the docking bay where the clones and commandos preparing for an imminent invasion. Just then the doors are blasted inward, and a shrill voice can be heard.

"Let all those who stand against us be washed in our divine light! Attack!*" Then the UNSC's famous 'marines' run onto the ship. The only difference between the ones he's heard they look like and these is that these soldiers are in all white armor, and are firing on the clones and killing them quickly. Yularen felt somewhat reassured when he sees Commander Fil running into the bay with a squad of ARC troopers. They start firing on the marines, who are shot and killed despite them killing 2 ARCs. Before he can feel any better, he heard a strange song on the other side. To his horror, the marines that were killed immediately get back up, whooping and firing on the clones again. A split second later, a UNSC Warthog drives into the docking bay, its turret built on the back blazing and killing even more clones. Its driver is in strange gold armor, in the passenger seat is the red-armored man Yularen saw in the communication, with a maroon armored soldier in the turret area. They immediately started barreling towards the bridge area, with the few surviving clones and Fil dodging in either direction.

At this point, Yularen accepted a hard truth. He and his men are outmatched, and all they can do is escape and tell the Senate of what has happened. "Men. Prepare for evacuation. We've lost." He said, retrieving the data on how their new enemies fight then runs to the elevator that will take them to the docking bay where the only means of escaping this battle awaits. He makes it down the elevator and keeps going for a minute until he hears that strange music. Yularen immediately dodges to the left, only for the Warthog to barrel past them. Seeing that it's safe, he keeps running until he meets up with Commander Fil and 3 surviving ARC troopers.

"Admiral! We're getting torn apart." Fil reports.

"I know. I ordered the men to abandon ship. Come, and we'll do the same." Yularen responds then they keep going to the docking bay, where any leftover clones were gunned down by the white-armored marines that are pooling into the bay.

"Go!" Fil shouts to his Admiral and the ARCs as he starts firing on the enemy who noticed him. Despite the randomness of a blaster, he does manage to kill 2 marines before joining the others in a gunship on the verge of taking off.

"Sir. What about the others?" The trooper that's piloting the gunship asks.

"I'm sorry, but unless they can make it past the marines, they won't make it. Get us out of here." Yularen answers. Immediately, despite the guns going off and damaging the gunship, the ship takes off and after using blasters to punch through the Acclamator ship, fly out into space. Then as quickly as possible, fly down to Mon Calamari while several shots from enemy fighters go off around them.

Yularen stares out at his former ship, when the Mother of Invention pulls away from the ship after a few minutes. Mere seconds later, it blows up. Yularen accepted another truth then: They are the only survivors of this disaster of a battle. He doesn't want to, but watches as the Sangheili fighters wipe out the remaining Venators. Now that the battle is over, all of the fighter ships return to the main ships of the rogue fleet, turn around and enter slip space before disappearing from view. Yularen sits down, trying to digest all that has happened. As much as he hates to admit it, that Sangheili was right. A whole new definition of what a battle is like was given to him.

For the rest of the gunship's trip to Mon Calamari, he ponders what they meant when they accused him of betraying their trust and what he should say once he returns to Corusant to tell the Jedi and Senate about what happened.

* * *

 _AN:_ Now the bitter wars have begun.

*Can anyone guess which Reds and Blue squads these guys are?

As for the Sangheili ramming one Star Destroyer into another to destroy both ships, consider it my dedication to the Star Wars story Rogue One. I must say, that was an awesome movie.

I shall see you next Friday, my last post for 2016.

I can promise, things definitely get heated up next time, and have a happy holidays.


	5. Chapter 4: Sparks of War

**March 28** **th**

 **2583**

 **4:00 pm UNSC time**

 **Galactic Republic Senate**

 **Corusant**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

An emergency meeting was being held in the Senate Hall. The Senators are arguing and filling the chamber with noise.

A mere 4 days ago, Admiral Yularen, Clone Commander Fil and only 3 ARC troopers were transported to Corusant from Mon Calamari. Once questioned on what happened to their fleet, they announced to the Senate that the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios, with only 6 ships that weren't the most powerful in their arsenal, managed to obliterate their fleet with destructive power and efficiency the CIS doesn't have.

Now that the survivors were dismissed to be reassigned to a new army led by a Jedi, the Senate is endlessly debating what should be done to address this alarming change of events.

"Order! We shall have order!" Mas Ameeda, he blue-skinned Chagrian*, who always remains at the Chancellor's side. Slowly but definitely surely, the Senate quiets down and watches as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine stands up to address the Senators. Even the 2 permanent members of the Jedi High Council, Yoda and Windu, are present to hear about this emergency meeting. While surprised at the change as well, they are more interested on what prompted such aggression.

"My fellow members of the Senate. These are strange times and I agree with your views. We must contact the UEG's Madam President and the Arbiter and ask them why they destroyed an entire fleet that could be protecting Republic planets." Palpatine announces to the silent room. Several Senators start clapping in approval of Palpatine's suggestion, then the Chancellor presses a button on his stand. A special Senate seat floats in front of the Chancellor, and after several minutes of tense silence, 2 holograms built into the seat flare to life. The Senate immediately recognizes the woman with shoulder-length brown hair and the golden-armored Sangheili as the UEG's Madam President and the Arbiter respectively. "Madam President and Arbiter. It is nice to see you again, but I have not called you here for pleasantries. I came to talk to you about your reasoning behind your pointless slaughtering of an entire fleet of the Republic's Grand Army." Palpatine says to the newcomers.

The 2 foreigners stare at each other before Thel 'Vadam responds coldly. "Pointless? If you truly believe our attack was 'pointless,' you're a fool even more blind than the followers of the old Covenant. We sent our people to burn that fleet because they betrayed us first."

Once Vadam had finished his statement, Senators from all around the room shout in protest. Even if Palpatine failed to show it after years of being a master politician, he was slightly angry on the inside of being considered blind. "Tell me, what did the fleet do to betray you?" Palpatine asks calmly.

This time, President Peterson answers. "Because your fleet was so eager to destroy a CIS fleet that they entered our space without permission. Once there, they did help destroy the CIS fleet, but destroyed a UNSC transport ship in the process. One that was transporting famous UNSC war heroes to Earth. Since we wouldn't stand by and let it happen again, we taught your fleet a lesson. But we don't want war with you. In fact, if you give us a public apology for illegally entering our space and wounding dozens of our people, then we'll rein in our people from retaliating and forget this ever happened."

Several Senators start shouting at the President and Arbiter at once again, only louder this time. "Order!" The blue Chagrian* at Palpatine's side shouts again. "You shall say your minds, but only 1 at a time."

Seconds later, another Senate seat carrying the Senators of the Duskaan system floated forward. "The Republic shall not bow down to your wishes. Your primitive governments can never stand without the Senate's help, so you don't get to make the calls. Besides, what makes us think you'll keep your word? I'd heard about your fabled Spartan-II program, a very secretive business. The fact you're keeping military programs like that hidden from us all gives me the impression your governments are up to something illegal." The main Senator says.

It took every ounce of willpower for Michelle Peterson and Thel 'Vadam not to scream in outrage at this accusation and for going too far. Vadam in particular is outraged because while the Spartan-II program was an immoral program that was shut down years ago, he had to admit that it did produced outstanding super soldiers that could tear through entire armies single-handedly, including his friend John-117, the legendary Master Chief, so the jab at them and his friend really made the Arbiter tempted to teach that particular Senator a lesson, one that involves a quality Carbine or even a UNSC shotgun. But on the outside, they somehow manage to maintain a calm facade.

Thanks to some data gathering the ONI has done behind the scenes and some information the famous Blood Gulch crew salvaged from the destroyed fleet, they have a way to retaliate. "Yes, the Spartan-II program was immoral, but it was completely taken care of over a decade ago and they saved both our species from extinction." Peterson responds.

"You should speak for yourselves as well. The Senate has shown signs of mild corruption in the past and your nearsightedness has gotten you thrown into your precious war. But your army is the worst. We look down on your use of clones, but using them is your choice and not the problem. The real problem is your army's leaders: the 'all-powerful' Jedi Order. Thanks to some data we found, the former Grandmaster of your Order, Sifo-Dyas, paid the back-water Kaminoan species to create your clone army, using a disgusting bounty hunter to make the clones. That same bounty hunter is the one who tried to assassinate one of your own Senators. I dare you to tell us that doesn't scream suspicion or that the Jedi haven't secretly been creating wars for eons just to stroke their ego. We shall answer no more of your questions and wish you a good day." With that, their transmissions that come from an unidentified planet cut out and the seat returns to where it came from.

The second the two leave the chamber, plunging the Senate into chaos as they debate yet again what to do. It's obvious that diplomatic relationships between the 2 governments will not be repaired anytime soon. "I can't believe that instead of apologizing for attacking them, we give them accusations of illegal activity they've already addressed." Senator Bail Organa said disbelievingly, looking around at the arguing Senators.

"Yes. This is a dark day for the Republic and I have the feeling that it's only going to get worse." Fellow Senator Padmé Amidala answers, feeling a hint of dread at what's to come. Entire minutes of arguing pass before Palpatine stands up. A hush falls over the Senate, anxious to hear what the Chancellor has to say.

"I'm sorry my friends, but we have angered our 'allies' too much and we never truly agreed with their cultures anyway. These reasons are why I am going to set up a vote on whether we should go to war with the UEG and the Swords of Sanghelios or not. All votes are to be due by tomorrow morning. I shall speak with the Jedi Council on these new matters. Meeting adjourned." With that, the Chancellor leaves the Senate hall and the rest of the Senators leave to retire to their various chambers. Padmé has a bad feeling she knows how this vote is going to go down, but will do everything in her power to prevent the result from occurring.

* * *

 **5:00 pm UNSC time**

 **Chancellor's Private Office**

 **Corusant**

* * *

Palpatine sits behind his desk, watching as the members of the Jedi High Council walk in. Even Anakin Skywalker and his padawan, Ahsoka Tano, were invited to this private meeting. Because there are so many benefits and detriments to going to war with the UEG and Swords of Sanghelios, Palpatine is genuinely interested in seeing what stance the Jedi will take in this matter.

"So, what are your views on the UEG and Swords of Sanghelios?" Palpatine asks when all the Council members are gathered and settled.

"I believe that while they did have logic behind their retaliation, the fact they destroyed a Republic fleet and killed hundreds of clones is can't be overlooked. I do think we should go to war because they also insulted everything the Jedi Order stands for in the process, even if I don't like the idea of another enemy in a war we're at a stalemate with." Anakin said calmly, but a hint of frustration in his voice.

Obi-Wan winced internally. He thought Anakin was being too forceful about this, but his former padawan did bring up a good point. Even so, Obi-Wan still doesn't want a war with a government they provokes if he can avoid it. "They insulted our Order, and they shall learn we can't just let it go. I vote for war." Ki-Adi-Mundi states flatly.

"I vote for war as well." Kit Fisto adds.

One by one, the Council members vote for war. Ahsoka is torn between the 2 sides of the argument, but settles on war for now. "Very well, then. Tomorrow I shall see if the Senate votes for war as well and if they do, announce where the Grand Army of the Republic will strike first. You may go." Palpatine stands up and bows respectfully to the Jedi.

They get up and walk out of the Chancellor's Private Office and return to their temple, anxious on what's to come.

* * *

 **6:15 pm UNSC time**

 **Jedi High Council Chamber**

 **Jedi Temple**

 **Corusant**

* * *

Yoda stares out at the landscape of Corusant from the Jedi High Council chamber and sighs heavily. The Dark Side has been clouding his visions in the Force, but now it's at its worst. He can't see the future and determine if the new war between the members of UNSC space and the Republic is avoided. All he senses and sees through the Force is pain, fear and a metal corridor filled with clones that are infected by something of pure evil. He is pulled from his vision when one of the infected clones tries to slash Yoda in half with an arm that has some sort of vines wrapping around it.

Suddenly, the doors to the chamber open up and Windu, followed by Kenobi, walk inside. "Master Yoda. How do you feel about this desire to fight our fellow humans and the Sangheili?" Kenobi asks, a little concern in his voice. Despite the 3 Jedi voting against the new declaration of war, it wasn't enough. Yoda looks at his fellow Jedi and his face turns grim.

"Not sure, I do. Moral, I believe the UEG and Sangheili. But angered too many, they have. Prepare for a new war, we must." Yoda answers, then stares out at the landscape again.

"At this point, we need to be ready for anything our new enemies throw at us. So learning anything we can about them will be necessary to the Republic. I believe something's been playing both of us the whole time, most likely our elusive Sith, Darth Sidious. Finding him is of greater importance than ever." Windu says to his companions, then leaves the chamber.

But Obi-Wan remains, still staring out at the city. "Master, I don't like this. It makes me uneasy, especially how the other Jedi agree to this." Obi-Wan tells the Grandmaster.

Yoda sighs yet again, then addresses his companion. "Trust in the Force, we must. Guide us through these odd times, it will."

While both don't want to admit it, they could sense the air changing around them. The Clone Wars are about to reach a whole new level of brutality.

* * *

 _AN:_ I know, it's shorter than usual. This is completely a filler chapter that shows the Republic's willingness to go to war.

I promise, the next chapter will be a way better than this one.

*I originally thought he was a Twi'lek, but he's actually a Chagrian. Thank you, Cmedina1, for telling me. I couldn't figure out what that guy was, even with my Star Wars Encyclopedia (Call me a Star Wars geek, but never a fanboy).

Anyway, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I shall see you all again in 2017!


	6. Chapter 5: First Blood - Part 1

**March 29** **th**

 **20 BBY**

 **9:00 am UNSC time**

 **Galactic Republic Senate**

 **Corusant**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

The very next morning, the Galactic Senate gathers in the Senate Chamber once again. After everyone has settled into their rightful seats, the center swirls open and Palpatine appears in his usual attire, Mas Amedda at his side. The entire meeting is being broadcasted live around Corusant, as this is a major moment in the Clone Wars.

"Greetings, members of the Galactic Senate. I have spoken with the Jedi yesterday and they have agreed to back the Senate's vote in. Please cast your votes." Palpatine tells the Senate, a neutral tone in his voice. The droids fly around hearing the votes of each individual Senator. After the votes were applied, the droids flew back away while one headed to Palpatine. He doesn't have that particular emergency power, so it's up to the Senate. It showed the Supreme Chancellor the results of the election, and they didn't surprise Palpatine at all.

Around 90% of the Senators voted for war against the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios while only 10% voted to try and rebuild their relationship. Also, unsurprisingly, Padme Amidala is one of the few Senators who voted for attempting to re-establish diplomatic relations. "The vote has passed. We are now at war with the Republic's new enemies, the UEG and the Swords of Sanghelios." Many of the Senators who voted for war give a thunderous applause at the election's results.

"I can't believe it. How can they be happy about any of this?" Amidala demands, but not shouts, as she silently glares at a cheering Senator.

"Meesa don't like eese." Fellow Senator Jar Jar Binks agrees, looking concerned.

After a shout of "Order!" from Mas, the Senators calm down once again and hang on every word Palpatine says.

Palpatine stares at each of the Senators, a small smile on his lips. "Now that we have declared war on our new enemies, we must strike them while they are ignorant of our declaration. Admittedly, our knowledge of their governments and worlds are sketchy are best. However, I have heard of a UNSC world on the very edge of their colonies. That is where we will strike first and show them the might of the Grand Army of the Republic. Let be known that the Grand Army shall attack the small planet known as Chorus!" Even more clapping and cheering results from that statement.

* * *

 **9:07 am UNSC time**

 **Main Conference Room**

 **New York**

 **Earth**

* * *

Utter silence followed when the Republic's Chancellor made his statement. Every member of the UEG, including the UNSC's head Lord Terrence Hood and all of the Senators, as well as every leader in the Swords of Sanghelios are present, some by hologram.

They all knew the Galactic Senate would have an emergency meeting so while Michelle Peterson and Thel 'Vadam made their speeches to the Galactic Senate, the AI Roland who is on temporary break hacked into the Republic's droids, broadcasting every second of the meeting.

"What…the fuck did our ancestors who took their first steps on Chorus do long ago? We just survived a civil war, so now we're expected to the first to be selected for conquering in a new war? Oh, the Blood Gulch crew will be so thrilled to hear this, not to mention my people." Senator of Chorus Vanessa Kimball, in her usual battle armor, shouts in anger.

"To think they know more about warfare than we do. The Republic hasn't fought in war for centuries while we all have fought in wars all our lives. I suggest we teach them a lesson about what true war is." Andrew Del Rio, Senator of the Jovian Moons, says with a slightly overconfident tone.

"While I may not always agree with you, Del Rio, I do somewhat agree with your statement. We must take every precaution we know of and prepare our people for war. We will show them how our wars go." Arbiter Thel 'Vadam answers, glaring at the image of the Republic Chancellor.

"So I'll get my people notified and ready for battle. We have several surprises for them." Kimball says, a grim tone in her voice.

"Do not worry, Senator Kimball. You take care of the ground forces while the UNSC protect space. We let you down before, and by God, we're not about to let you down now." Michelle states firmly.

"Well, then. Let's get started." Kimball says, half anxious to get started.

For the rest of the Earth day, plans are put together. How to keep the Republic at a distance, how to destroy them the quickest and plans for the inevitability of landing on Chorus, even going as far as to prepare emergency plans if they ever reach New Armonia. Around 100 UNSC warships, most being Strident-class heavy frigates, but led by the Mother of Invention. No need to show them the full potential of their respective military powers yet, or the 2 groups united. But when Blood Gulch crew were called into joining the strategy, Grif reluctantly suggested being all hands-on deck by having…everyone.

They have been preparing for this battle with diligence because thanks to Roland who is still hacked into the Republic database, he informed the Council that the Republic is rallying 150 Republic warships and sending them to Chorus, led by Admiral Yularen and 2 Jedi Knights. But once the plans were laid out, the UNSC ships left Reach and hid in the magnetic field surrounding Chorus. Now, they wait and gather any more intelligence on the Republic if possible.

* * *

 **1:00 am UNSC time**

 **Galactic Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer 'Warhead'**

 **Orbiting Esfandia**

* * *

Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano have been going over their final plans with Clone Commander Fil and Admiral Yularen on how they shall conquer Chorus.

The plan relies on being quick and precise. They plan on keeping any star ships in the area busy and landing the troops on the planet led by Obi-Wan, where they will capture the capitol, kill their Senator and turn the planet into another Republic fortress world so they can start future assaults.

"All right then. Let's stop waiting around and show those UNSC and Sangheili they don't mess with the Jedi or the Republic." Anakin says finally. "Admiral, give the order to all ships to enter hyperspace and let's begin the attack."

"Yes General." Yularen says then leaves the holo table so he can relay the orders to the other ships.

"I agree that I don't like the wait, Anakin, but we must not rush into this fight recklessly. I have heard many stories about the destruction even the lightest of their ships make, so we need to be extra diligent." Obi-Wan chides his friend, just as the fleet jump into hyperspace. He obviously still remembers the power of their so-called MAC cannons, giving him even more reason for concern.

"General Kenobi is right. I have personally witnessed their military might, and agree to be wary. If we don't attack them carefully and drastically outnumber them, we stand no chance. They are well-trained and have more experience in combat than even Captain Rex." Fil adds, the barest hint of worry in his worry.

"I know." Anakin says, staring at the holo before him. Despite his cocky exterior, the war had changed him and he too is slightly worried deep down, wondering just how powerful the humans of the UNSC and Sangheili are, and if declaring war on them was a bad idea. Sure, Anakin voted for war, but he did so a little reluctantly. The ships rock slightly but pass after a few seconds.

"Sir! We are arriving at our destination!" A technician calls up to the 3 Jedi and Fil after a few tense minutes.

"Pull us out of hyperspace." Ahsoka says, confidence in her voice. In seconds, the Venator pulls out of hyperspace, the fleet appearing around them and facing a planet. It is a beautiful planet with many land masses, a polar cap on the top and a ring around the planet along with a metal moon. Obi-Wan pauses for a second, before he is pulled out of his trance when Fil speaks up.

"Generals. We are receiving a transmission from the planet."

"Put it through. I want to see the leader of this planet." Anakin says to Fil, who nods and pushes several buttons on the side of the holo table. Suddenly, a woman appears in front of them. She is wearing full body armor with ice blue trim on it and holding a battle rifle in her hands.

"Greetings, members of the Galactic Republic. My name is Vanessa Kimball, Senator representative of Chorus for the UEG. May I ask why you are coming to our planet with a full Republic battle fleet?" The woman, now named Vanessa, asks. She seems _too_ calm about this, putting Obi-Wan on edge.

"I am Anakin Skywalker of the Galactic Republic. You have insulted the Senate, who have declared war on your small government. As such, your world is the first to be attacked by the Grand Army of the Republic. Of course, you could surrender your world and save us both the hassle." Anakin says confidently.

Vanessa stares at Anakin, and since Obi-Wan can't see her face, he can't be sure but he has the feeling she is smirking at Anakin. "Oh, we know about your little declaration. If you think that you will take my home without a fight, you're even more arrogant than I heard. We have survived the worst wars and an invasion in the past. I hope your government's proud of the war, they started. We're not going down without a fight." With that, the transmission cuts off and Vanessa disappears.

"Generals! Several energy spikes in the magnetic field, about 15,000 km away!" A clone technician shouts at them.

"They have that kind of range?" Ahsoka wonders aloud while Obi-Wan gives an order.

"It's an ambush! Take evasive action!" The clones start getting to work, but suddenly the sound of engines powering down ring out, and the lights flicker for a second as an orange field surrounds the ship.

"What's going on?" Anakin demands sharply, worried why a new Republic warship would lose power like this and what that light is.

"Sir. An energy beam has overridden all the engines on our ship. We can't move."

"Where's the beam coming from?" Ahsoka asks, running the possibilities through her head.

"Generals, I think this energy is coming from the planet itself." Fil responds, figuring that the UNSC ships don't have that sort of power.

"…How are they doing this?" Obi-Wan asks.

* * *

 **Flashback**

 **1:07 am UNSC time**

 **Crash Site Alpha**

 **Chorus**

* * *

Lieutenant Jenson and Lieutenant Bitters of the Republic party, along with Dr. Emily Grey and Captain Cunningham of the Federal party, are gathered at Crash Site Bravo. Senator Vanessa Kimball decided to remain at New Armonia and send a transmission to distract the Republic. A message was sent that the Republic was arrived, so time is of the essence. After a few minutes, Jenson speaks up. "The tractor beam is almost ready to freeze them in place so our friends in space can shoot them." Jenson says confidently.

"Are you sure this idea will work? Why not pull them to the planet and kill them quickly? We have more than enough power to do so." Cunningham asks skeptically. In his mind, bringing the enemy to them and killing them is the more efficient way to go.

"This plan will absolutely work. Working with alien technology, especially Forerunner, is so exciting! As for our fight, we all know they will come to us and we'll tear them apart." Dr. Grey says, then the machines start beeping, causing Grey to add, "Tractor beam's ready!"

"This will be one hell of a surprise to those shitheads. I have to regroup with my soldiers, so I'll be seeing you later." Bitters says, then runs out of the fortress. As he leaves to meet with 2 of his soldiers on Orange team in a modified Warthog, he looks up and sees the tall tractor beam activating, sending a beam of orange light into space and an unsuspecting fleet.

* * *

 **1:20 am UNSC time**

 **Galactic Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer 'Warhead'**

 **Orbiting Chorus**

* * *

"Generals! The energy spikes are flying towards us. We can't avoid them." The clone warns.

In a split second, Obi-Wan makes a choice. "Tell all ships to double the deflector shields to that quadrant and brace for impact!"

The clones immediately get to work relaying the message to the other ships while also rerouting all shields to the area the energy is coming from, which takes the form of a hundred streaks of brilliant white light soar through the open space. A few miss but the majority strike the Republic ships. To everyone's slight horror, some ships are horribly crippled, their deflector shields permanently destroyed and even 1 other Venator starts floating helplessly in space, while the majority are split apart or explode dramatically in a scene of brutality yet to be seen in the war. A moment of silence, then every Republican saw it.

Easily a hundred UNSC warships fly out of the magnetic field, leering at the already weakened Republic ships. Then, after a tense silence, the UNSC ships start flying towards them. "We need to stop them! Scramble all fighters so we can attack the UNSC ships and destroy them from the inside. Ahsoka, you're with me. Once the ships are down, send the LAATs down planetside." Anakin says over the comms to the ship. Ahsoka follows her Master as they leave for the docking bays and board the fighters. Within minutes, the docking bays of every active Republic warship activates and a massive wave of Republic fighters fly out and towards the Republic fleet.

"Anakin, I hope you know what you're doing." Obi-Wan mutters as he too heads to the docking bays to board the gunship ready to head to Chorus. The first true battle has begun.

* * *

 _AN:_ Hello everyone and welcome to 2017! I hope this chapter is a good celebration of being back on the job.

Next chapter will add more detail to the 1st battle of the Bitter Wars and introduce a _special_ guest. I laughed so hard while writing it. For the Sangheili at battle, they will appear later, but not for a good while.

Anyway, see you next time.


	7. Chapter 6: First Blood - Part 2

**March 29** **th**

 **2583**

 **1:18 am UNSC time**

 **UNSC Paris-class light Frigate, 'Mother of Invention.'**

 **Orbiting Chorus**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

Colonel Reginald Quince is staring at a holographic projection of the battle field. Their MAC cannon barrage had severely weakened the invading Republic force, but didn't finish them off. Now he's suspicious on why the Republic isn't doing anything. "All right, men. Prepare for a 2nd barrage of fire. We shall use Fusion Rockets to…"

"Colonel, we don't have time for a missile barrage. Have a look." Agent Carolina said to the Colonel, looking at the screen. Half of the Blood Gulch Crew are still on-board the Mother of Invention while the other half are down on Chorus. The soldiers on the ship include the cyan agent, Franklin Delano Donut, Frank DuFresne "Doc" and Lopez. Quince looks at the screen, and realizes what the Republic was up to. The docking bays open on the ships and a swarm of Republic fighters start flying out.

"I see them, too. Lopez, send a message to the other ships to send all their Saber- and Broadsword- class fighter ships out as well. The Longswords are too bulky to survive, so they will remain on Chorus to give them air support in case the Republic manages to land on the planet." Quince orders.

"[Sure. Whatever.]" Lopez says, then starts broadcasting the message to the other ships.

"I say we use those missiles while our fighters keep them busy and at the same time, blow them into oblivion with our MAC cannons again! Hahaha!" Doc, now possessed by his alter ego O'Malley, shouts eagerly.

"No need for such a savage threesome. We should use our side turrets. If we do that hard and quick, we'll penetrate their ships." Donut suggests. Quince wasn't sure how to react to those innuendos, but is spared the question when a certain yellow-armored soldier walks up to them.

"Hi. Sorry, had to go to the bathroom after eating my chili. That stuff was hot. What's going on now?" Kaikaina Grif, aka Sister, asks as she walks to them.

"The Republic's sending out fighters. We need you to get ready for battle." Quince said, unknowing of Sister's…eccentric behavior.

"That sounds hot. Since I'm a pilot, I'm going to be flying with the big boys today. Maybe I can have some fun later." Sister says, then runs off to the ship's docking bays where the rest of the pilots are going.

"You do that." Carolina mumbles, then looks back at the screen. "No wonder Grif and Wash were so anxious to get the job over with. Wash had to knock her out just to shut her up about him being a cop."

* * *

 **Flashback**

 **March 28** **th**

 **1:10 pm UNSC time**

 **Blood Gulch Outpost Alpha and Number 1**

* * *

A single UNSC Pelican flies through the air as they make their way to their destination. Within minutes, they arrive at their destination, then touch down on the ground. The hatch opens up and 4 UNSC members step out: Carolina, Wash, Grif and Tucker. "So, you said your sister's here?" Carolina asks, looking around the boxed canyon. How they survived out here without completely losing their minds was truly beyond her.

"Oh my god! Grif, you have freedom and rights! You don't have to work with any evil cops!" A voice shouts. They all turn around and see the yellow-armored soldier running to them.

"…You're fucking kidding me." Wash says in a monotone, a little horrified. "This is your sister?"

"Yeah, just my damn luck. Sis, come with us. The UNSC needs your help now." Grif says sharply.

"No way. I'm not going with any cops. Why are you working with the grey cop, anyway? Unless…gasp…Grif, you're a cop too?" She asks, shock in her voice. Carolina is at a loss for words to describe the "soldier" before them.

"No. I'm not a cop, but some people want you to help them in an upcoming battle. I'm just their errand boy. Pulled me away from my damn apple pie and burritos." Grif says bitterly.

"Sounds hot, but I'm still not going with any…blah!" She shouts as Wash runs forward, slamming the butt of his battle rifle into her head. The impact knocks her out cold as she falls to the ground.

"Come on. Let's go." Wash says, picking up her body and they walk back to the ship.

"Damn it! I was hoping to talk to her and maybe ask her to come down on me. Bow chicka bow wow." Tucker mumbles, but follows anyway. A second later, he is slapped in the back of the head by Carolina.

"She probably wouldn't have understood you, anyway." Carolina answers, then asks Wash with amusement in her voice, "Why did she call you a cop?"

"A long story I'd rather not talk about ever." Wash answers as they all walk onto the Pelican, which takes off, leaving the Outposts for the simulated war behind.

* * *

 **March 29** **th**

 **1:25 am UNSC time**

 **Jedi Starfighter**

 **Outside Chorus**

* * *

Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his most trusted astromech droid, R2-D2, are leading an army of Galactic Republic fighters as they fly at the also still UNSC fleet. "Master. I don't get it. What are they waiting for?" Ahsoka asks over the comms to Anakin, confusion in her voice.

"I don't know. We might have caught them off-guard. All squads, follow me!" Anakin says. He only said that to be reassuring for his padawan, as deep down, he gets the feeling that they are also gearing up for an assault. Seconds later, R2 starts beeping frantically at Anakin, whose eyes widen slightly at the sight. The docking bays for the UNSC warships are also opening up, allowing strange Starfighters to pour out. "I see them, R2." With that, Anakin surges forward.

Once his Starfighter is in range, he fires at one of the ships, only for the deflector shield to reflect it. The UNSC ships start firing both rapid-fire turrets on the ships and missiles at the Republic fighters, each flying around in different directions. Anakin expertly dodges each missile and shot from the UNSC fighters, but has to admit they're better than he was expecting. Soon, he spots a Broadsword and closely follows it. Anakin gets ready for a second then unleashes a barrage of lazer fire. The shields kept it steady, but after 10 seconds of constant fire, the shields fall and the engines go critical. With that, the fighter explodes.

"All squads, keep constant fire on the ships and they will fall." Anakin announces over the comm systems in the fleet.

"Easier said than done, General. We've already lost 1, 2, 5 and 6 of my squad. Each of the other squads are starting to lose numbers as well. Karabast, those weapons are effective." A clone commander responds, then cuts the channel.

Anakin is stunned, and his mind starts racing to come up with an effective strategy that can turn the tide. R2 beeps at him again and he looks straight ahead. Another Broadsword is flying right at him, firing the machine guns. Anakin dodges those and when he gets close enough, flips upside down and hangs overhead so he can see the pilot of the ship flying under him.

To his surprise, he can see his reflection in the gold face mask of a woman wearing bright yellow armor and a black vizor. Anakin flips back over and is about to rejoin the fight when R2 beeps at him yet again. Anakin's eyes widen in surprise. "She's transmitting? Put it through, I want to hear what it's about." Anakin says to his trusted droid.

It beeps in response and a female voice that sounds crazy to Anakin pipes up. "Hey, hot stuff. Sweet flying. So, after all this is over, do you mind if I pull on your throttle?"

Anakin was stunned to hear that and had no clue as to what she is talking about. So, he took the sensible route and responds. "I don't know what you're talking about, but what I do know is that you will be space dust in minutes for defying the Senate! So my answer is no."

"Whoa! You're kind of scary and hot. I'm Kaikaina Grif, in case you change your mind. Man, this blows." She mumbles the last sentence then the transmission was cut off. Anakin shook his head. He still didn't really understand what she was talking about, but knew that she wasn't what he was expecting a UNSC pilot to be like. Shaking his head in astonishment, he looks at the magnetic field. Suddenly, he has an idea for how to change the battle. Anakin opens the comms to the Venator he came from.

"Master, I got an idea for how to route their fighters. I'll take all Republic ships we have and lead them to the asteroid field. Take the time and send all the gunships down planet-side and end this."

A brief pause over the system as Obi-Wan's projection mulls over the idea before he gives his answer. "Good idea, Anakin. I'll get the orders relayed." That particular communication line is closed.

Anakin then opens a communication line between all the squad leaders and his padawan. "All squads, follow me. They think they're winning, so we'll lead them away from the battlefield."

"Copy that, General. We'll relay the orders to our men." The transmissions cut off and Anakin starts flying into the field, already having a Saber class fighter firing at him.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Master." Ahsoksa adds before cutting off her transmission and flying at his side.

* * *

 **2:50 am UNSC time**

 **Galactic Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer 'Warhead'**

* * *

"General Kenobi, General Skywalker's plan is working." Yularen says to Kenobi as they watch from the docking bay the Republic fighters leading the UNSC ships away. While they have had losses, the Republic is definitely losing.

"Good. All the gunships are loaded. I give you space command, Admiral, while I go to the planet. May the Force be with us." With that, the Jedi gets on the nearest LAAT and closes the hatch. "Pilot, take off."

"Yes sir!" With that, the ship starts revving up its engines.

'Here we go.' Obi-Wan thinks as the ship takes off and flies into open space, many more LAATs closely following. All around them, new blasts go off and through the Force, he senses that many of the shots, which are coming from the main ships themselves, impact with the gunships. But nothing can be done about it right now. Obi-Wan then gets up and walks to the pilot area to get a better view.

Before them, the planet is getting larger and larger before the ship finally enters the atmosphere. They fly down to see a vast mountain range, with tall rocky cliffs. In the distance, they say a tall and highly advanced looking city. "Men, we have reached Chorus, setting down in…"

Just then, Obi-Wan felt a warning from the Force and his eyes widen. "Pilot, pull up!" But it's already too late. Over at a ship bay on one of the cliffs, 2 UNSC M80 Permanent Anti-Aircraft turrets go off and the advanced bullets puncture the LAAT, even with blast doors, with unnerving ease. Many clones shout after being shot and fall to the ground, dead. Some of the bullet rounds even puncture the cockpit, killing the pilot.

Regretting that he couldn't save him and what he does next, Obi-Wan pushes the pilot's corpse into the other seat and sits in the pilot's seat, steering the ship down lower to avoid the devastating turrets. But the steering had also been damaged in the barrage as the ship buckled under the weakened engines and the air resistance, so as the ship descended to the ground, it jerked to the left just enough for that side to start scrapping on the ground, followed by the entire ship falling on its side, flying forward as it does so before coming to a complete stop.

"Ugh. Not what I was expecting." A clone in the back complains. Obi-Wan sighed in relief, knowing that 3 clones had survived the impact.

"Men, welcome to Chorus. It appears we have a lot of work to do from here on." Obi-Wan said with an optimistic attitude, masking his growing dread of what's to come.

* * *

 _AN:_ So yeah, battle continued.

I don't know why, but Sister hitting on a Jedi just sounded awesome to me.

I will see you next time when the battle continues even more.


	8. Chapter 7: First Blood - Part 3

**March 29** **th**

 **2583**

 **3:00 am UNSC time**

 **Crashed LAAT**

 **Chorus**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

Moving slowly, Obi-Wan crawls out of the pilot seat and notices the 3 surviving clones groaning in pain as they lay on the side of the ship resting on the ground. Looking up, Obi-Wan gets an idea.

"Hang on." He said, then unsheathes his lightsaber, activates it and stabs it into the roof. Creating a circle, he uses the Force to push the piece of metal outward. Jumping up to the roof, he lowers his hand so the clones can also climb out. If he could help it, he would save as many lives as possible. One everyone is outside the crashed gunship, they have a look around the vast canyon-like terrain. In the air, Republic gunships are fighting another type of UNSC fighter, a ship apparently called a 'Longsword.' They are a heavily-armed fighter that despite taking shots from some LAATs, the Longswords always blow up the clone ships. Then, in the distance, they notice a large city full of tall buildings and walls. Just then, a Longsword flies overhead and shoots another LAAT from behind. Said ship spirals out of control then crashes to the ground.

"General. Let's gather any survivors we can and capture that city." The clone sergeant suggests to Kenobi. The Jedi nods in agreement and run across the rocky terrain and under the cover of canyons to stay hidden from the UNSC ships. The group continues on until they reach the crashed LAAT which amazingly landed on the bottom. Aside from missing a wing, the ship is still in good condition. The clones jump out of the LAAT and greet the group of 4.

"Soldier, how's the AT-TE holding up?" Obi-Wan asks, getting an idea once he sees the main cannon.

"It's still in prime condition, sir. But one of the wings that transport it is blown off so we can't get it off." The clone responds.

"Let me help with that." Obi-Wan said then concentrates on the Force. The flying attachment of the AT-TE quivers, then flies off and lands next to the Republic tank. "All right, men. We're going to take this AT-TE and breach the walls of that city. Might give us a vantage point that can turn this war around."

"Yes, General." They respond, then start making their way across the canyon once more until they come to a highway of sorts. Following it, they notice the city up close. Above them, the LAATs are flying around, trying to fight the heavily-armed Longswords and failing while also having to evade the Anti-Aircraft Turrets stationed on the walls. Luckily, the Admiral had smartened up and LAATs are now landing on the ground, with all the AT-TE weapons firing on the walls of the city. "We need to join the battle if we are to bring down the walls." Obi-Wan shouts to his men over the noise.

They nod and their own AT-TE joins the fire, progressing towards it at full speed. The walls start showing black marks on the walls, but don't show any sign of falling quickly. Suddenly, a transmission is made over Obi-Wan's communication device. "General, we're losing casualties. The locals are attacking us and they are kriffing good. We're taking too many casualties and…Gah!" The clone shouts as he is shot in the head and the transmission fizzles out.

One of the clones nods and turns to Kenobi. "General, the clone manning the AT-TE has picked up many objects moving to us. These locals are on their way." Right on que, dozens of weird grey vehicles that have 2 fins on the front and each side of the vehicles floating in the air fly into the battlefield, firing their rapid-fire shots at the clones marching on the ground and the AT-TEs, but don't seem to notice Kenobi and his small squad. The guns are so effective that after a good 20 seconds of direct fire, an AT-TE falls to the ground, exploding seconds later. The Chorusans behind the wheel are wearing thick armor that's gray with sage trim and an almost T-shaped facemask that's a lighter gray. As the clones lay on the ground to avoid the vehicles, they continue flying around destroying AT-TEs until all but the one Kenobi is with is destroyed. Their job done, they fly back to the front doors of the city, which open up to allow them in. Obi-Wan realizes that this is their only chance to make it inside.

Just after the last ship flies in, Obi-wan concentrates on the Force. The doors are jammed open, preventing from cutting off the battle. "All troops, enter the city!" Obi-Wan commands on an open comm, then runs at the doors, thanks to the Force enhancing his speed. The men cheer and also start running at the doors. Obi-Wan runs through the doors and jumps in with the clones also leaping in. But Obi-Wan's concentration slips and the doors close. They notice the vast city around them, with the tall buildings, subway cars and in the center of the block, a tall statue stands of an armored man with white armor with gold trim. The base had a plaque that said 'In memory of Donald Doyle. The Federal General who sacrificed himself to save Chorus.' "Men, stick together and we march on the center of this city and take Chorus." Obi-Wan said, knowing from their sketchy intel that this city, New Armonia is the capitol of Chorus.

* * *

 **3:30 am UNSC time**

 **New Armonia Armory**

 **Chorus**

* * *

All around the armory, the main military of Chorus, the Grand Army of Chorus, composed of members of the Republic party and Federal party, are gathering their gear and getting onto Warthogs, Ghosts and other vehicles to drive out the Republic Army that managed to get into the city.

"Men, today is a good day to die." Colonel Sarge said, cocking his shotgun.

"Listen, Sarge. If we just stick together and keep to the plan, we'll come out alive." Agent Washington said as he's getting into the passenger side of the Warthog that will be driven by Grif.

"Wash is right, Sarge. Besides, after all this is done, I think we could benefit from some good Rocky Road ice cream." Grif says as he sharpens his signature weapon, the Grif Shot, and slings it onto his back after which he gets into the Driver's Seat. Meanwhile, Tucker is talking to Caboose, both of whom are geared up.

"All right, Caboose. This is the big moment. I want you to get angry so we can beat them out and pick up the chicks later. Bow chicka bow wow." Tucker is telling Caboose, who is bobbing his head up and down rapidly.

"Yeah. I have no idea what you're talking about and I forgot how to get mad." Caboose said once he stopped bobbing his head.

"Well, then I should re-teach you. Omega, do your thing." Tucker says as he stands aside. The hologram of the Omega AI appears at Tucker's side after pulling himself from Tucker's new armor that once belonged to the infamous Meta.

"Alright. Time to blow those idiots into oblivion!" Omega shouts with glee then runs to Caboose's head. He head jerks in awkward positions for a second before going still.

"Yeah, those guys don't know what's about to hit them." Tucker said, grinning under his helmet.

* * *

 **3:40 am UNSC time**

 **New Armonia Highway**

 **Chorus**

* * *

The small squad of clones and Kenobi are walking down the main highway into the city. They pass by pockets of Chorusan soldiers, but manage to beat them deeper into the capitol. Obi-Wan's dread is deepening, suspecting that they are walking into a trap. Suddenly, they turn to the left and notice a long stretch of road before them. A split second later, a thunderous sound could be heard and a dozen Warthogs and those weird vehicles they saw outside the city drive into the highway and stop. Chorusans with the thick grey armor with sage trim jump out and point their weapons at the Republicans.

"Don't even think of trying to escape." A soldier said with a gold facemask and black armor with yellow trim. Obi-Wan looks behind him and sees even more Chorusans massing behind them. These soldiers have neatly plated white armor with sage trim but have thick helmets with an orange eye in the center and leading them is Senator Vanessa Kimball herself, holding a long purple gun that looks like a rifle.

"All right. Who's first?" A clone asks, pointing his blaster rifle at the Chorusans before him. Then, from behind the lines of Chorusan soldiers, leaps out another soldier, who soars into the air before landing in front of them on his feet which don't buckle. Obi-Wan took that as a sign of one who possesses immense strength. This soldier has a gun strapped onto his back and his fists are raised.

"My name is Michael J. Caboose, and I hate big babies!" The man, obviously named Caboose, shouts loudly in an almost unnatural deep voice. Obi-Wan is completely caught off-guard by and tries to see into the man's mind to find what's wrong with him, but because of their lack of connection to the Force, it's like they don't exist at all.

A split second after Obi-Wan pulls away, Caboose runs at a clone soldier, who fires at Caboose and misses. Caboose, however, gives the clone an uppercut that sends him flying a good 10 feet into the air before crashing into the ground. He then punches another clone who falls back, then grabs the poor clone's legs and starts swinging him around then throws him into another clones, knocking them down like bowling pins. The remaining clones open fire on the Chorusans, some of whom, to Kenobi's shock, conjure some kind of glowing blue shield before them to deflect the lazers while the rest fire back*. Sadly, the clones were horribly outmatched and quickly start falling to the ground like flies. Kenobi couldn't save them, then got a brief vision in the Force of a subway vehicle that is stopped overhead. He is pulled out of the vision then notices the man, Caboose, holding his gun out to the Jedi.

"Freckles, prepare for fire." Caboose says. Obi-Wan is confused by Caboose's strange words, not to mention his attitude. But he is even more shocked, to the point where he couldn't speak if he wanted to, when his gun starts talking.

"Affirmative, Captain Caboose." As the Chorusans close in, guns raised, Obi-Wan pockets his lightsaber and raises his hands.

"I surrender." He said, channeling the Force into his legs then leaping into the air. The enemy tries to fire on him, but the Jedi Knight lands on top of the train, then leaps onto the building next to it. After which he starts climbing to the top. Once at the top and hidden himself from sight, Kenobi contacts Anakin. It was a little broken up from static but he could hear his former apprentice.

"Master. I was worried about you. How's the invasion going?" Anakin asks, barely heard due to the static.

"Well, not so well. How's the battle outside the planet going?"

He could almost sense Anakin frowning at the question. "Not very well, Master. Our fighters are tied in battle, but our starships are getting torn apart out here. The only realy victory we have is that a few minutes ago, the clones successfully destroyed a small UNSC ship port here and killed some of their men, but that's about it. What do you think we should do now?"

Obi-Wan then looks out at the fields, the massing Chorusans around the city and the clones getting shot down despite them firing back. In that moment, Kenobi comes to a decision and speaks to Anakin again. "Anakin, I'm sorry to say this, but the battle is lost. We need to leave the planet now to save as many of our men as possible and warn the Republic."

A moment of silence results before Anakin responds. "...I understand, Master. Ahsoka's Starfighter was damaged from a stray rocket so she volunteered to pilot a LAAT onto the field. I'll send her down to evacuate you and as many troops as possible."

"OK. But tell her to be quick. I am trapped in New Armonia and our troops are getting slaughtered. Most of the troops are dead already. I'll disable one of the cannons so she can fly in." Obi-Wan says.

"Duly noted." Anakin says then closes the channel. Kenobi stands up then jumps towards the next building and to the next. Eventually, he arrives at the Anti-Aircraft Turret, which is firing at the last AT-TE which somehow survived this long. Leaping onto the wall, he gets out his lightsaber and slashes into the control panel on the side. With the wires exposed, he grips them firmly and pulls them out. The Turret groaned in protest before lowering its weapons and going still.

"Found you." A voice said. Kenobi whirls around and sees the black-armored with yellow-trimmed soldier from before, pointing a battle rifle at him and fires. Obi-Wan lifts his lightsaber and deflects the bullets** before swinging his lightsaber at Agent Washington. He jumps back from Obi-Wan's lightsaber, but his battle rifle is slashed in half.

"Well, you got me." He said then runs at the Jedi, rolling on the ground to avoid the rapid lightsaber slash, using his Freelancer training to grab his combat knife and in a crouching position, stabs it into the Kenobi's right leg. He shouts in agony and falls to 1 knee. But before the Agent could finish Obi-Wan off, he looks up.

"Oh you're damn kidding me." He said then jumps back as a green lazer impacts the wall. An LAAT flies before the Jedi and the hatch opens up, revealing a clone. Summoning his strength, Kenobi gets up and walks to the gunship and on board before collapsing.

"Don't worry, General. We'll help you. Somebody get some bacta!" The clone says as another clone gets the first aid kit set and applies bacta to his wound, after which the wound is wrapped up tightly while the ship flies back into orbit, evading the Longswords with skills only Anakin or Ahsoka are capable of.

After several minutes of tense silence, the gunship stops flying and the blast door opens up, revealing that they are back to the Venator. Obi-Wan groans as he gets up and walks out of the ship. From the Jedi Starfighter in the middle comes out Anakin. "Hey, Master. What happened to your leg?"

"One of their men stabbed me here. Whoever it was, he's much better in combat than the others. If he wasn't a void in the Force, then I would have mistaken him for a Jedi or Sith." Just then, the ship jolts forward, a sign that the Venator had entered hyperspace.

Obi-Wan Kenobi sits on the edge of the LAAT, looking out at the damaged fleet, flashes of the military experience, the firepower the UNSC and their soldiers have at their disposal. Right then and there, he feels like the real war had just begun.

* * *

 _AN:_ I hope you all liked the final chapter of the Chorus invasion.

*For clearance, the Grand Army of Chorus is a fusion of both the Federal Army's and New Republic's military forces, even if some have returned to civilian life or government work. That means that they both have alien weapons and the hardlight shields, even the New Republic soldiers.

**For the Forerunner upgrades, the UNSC enhanced their bullets to travel faster and have a protective coating so they can't be blocked midair. That coating prevents the bullets from melting upon impact with a lightsaber and are reflected like lazers.

Anyway, see you next time when the UEG and Republic react to the UNSC victory.


	9. Chapter 8: Aftermath

**Cruzon: Thank you for pointing this out. I feel like a complete imbecile for not noticing the errors when I speed typed everything at night so I could participate in the Eleven Little Roosters contest.  
**

* * *

 **March 30th**

 **20 BBY**

 **1:15 pm UNSC time**

 **Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's Private Office**

 **Corusant**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

The Galactic Senate is in absolute chaos. The Jedi Council are even more chaotic as they endlessly debate how to react to the sudden change in events that recently occurred.

The Republic fleet had returned to Corusant, spreading the word that they had been defeated in the 1st true battle against the UNSC. To hear that the UNSC has the firepower to take an entire fleet of the Grand Army of the Republic and 40 remaining ships flee with their tails between their legs from the battle that is now being dubbed the 'Chorusan Massacre' instilled terror into the hearts of the Republic's citizens.

Up in the Chancellor's office, the man himself is sitting behind his desk, looking at the Jedi Masters sitting before them, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, his leg still bandaged, Anakin Skywalker and his padawan Ahsoka Tano. "Thank you for coming. I know that we have a war to be fighting in, but this is an important matter. I ask you, Master Kenobi, Master Skywalker, Padawan Tano, how did our first engagement with the UNSC go in your eyes?" Palpatine asks, concerned. Which is not staged, because deep down, his fear of his ultimate plan to rule the galaxy failing is growing.

Anakin is the first to speak up. "Well, when we got there, their Senator, a woman named Vanessa Kimball, contacted us. She warned us that they were ready for war. Honestly, I thought she was bluffing because Chorus is one of the smaller planets I've seen. Oh boy, was I wrong. They held the ships in place with a tractor beam and their starships tore ours apart. We managed to disarm those brutal deflector shields on 5 of their ships but only destroyed 2, neither being the flag ship."

Kenobi then takes over the explanation. "In the middle of the fight, Anakin took his fighters and led the UNSC fighters away so the LAATs could start the land invasion. But we never truly stood a chance. Several LAATs got shot down by the UNSC starships and the Chorusans picked us off in small packs. I hate to admit it Chancellor, but we truly are at a disadvantage. We had vastly superior numbers, but I had witnessed first-hand that they are far more experienced, the locals have much better firepower than we do. But the most important advantage they had is that their soldiers used deflector shields that take too long to bring down. The one advantage we had in our favor were numbers and once we pressed that advantage, we started winning. But then the elites in their army appeared and reclaimed the advantage once again by tearing the last of our ranks apart. Honestly, Chancellor, I could have mistaken those soldiers for highly trained Force-Sensitives. One of them even stabbed me in the leg." He finishes, gesturing to his leg.

Finally, Ahsoka finishes the story. "After Obi-Wan gave the Order to flee, I took the last LAAT on our ship to replace my damaged fighter and managed to rescue some troops. Sadly, Chorus's tractor beam caught our flag ship and I'm sure that the Admiral is either dead or in their captivity. We had to escape on another Venator."

The entire Jedi Council are frozen in their seats, shock written on their faces. However, Mace Windu's face shows concern about what this new enemy has as well, while Yoda lets out a sad sigh. He is getting the idea that someone's setting both of them up for slaughter, but until he has proof, he won't say anything.

"Thank you, Master Kenobi, Knight Skywalker and Padawan Tano. This news is…most concerning. I request that we find a way to gather anything we can find on them. Weapons for studying, data that might give us an edge in this war, anything. I am afraid to announce, then, that the Republic not only faces a group of rogues, but also a series of governments and armies that might be our most powerful adversary since the Sith Empire of Old." Palpatine tells them. "With that, this meeting is adjourned."

All of the Jedi get up, bow respectfully at the Supreme Chancellor, then walk out of the office. On the way out, Anakin whispers in Obi-Wan's ear. "Do you think we have a chance against the people we just fought with?"

Obi-Wan thinks long and hard about what to say then gives his answer. "If we don't change our battle tactics, then I don't believe this war will end well for us or the Republic."

* * *

 **1:45 pm UNSC time**

 **Medical Room 3, 'Mother of Invention'**

 **Orbiting Chorus**

* * *

Admiral Wullf Yularen's sight is completely black. But as the seconds' tick by, feeling returns to his arms, his legs, then his head. Letting out a silent moan, he slowly opens his eyes and gets a good look at his surroundings. He is strapped to a surgery table that's vertical in the middle of what looks like a medical room. He can't remember where he is or why he's here.

But then he hears the faint cheering of many people and the memories of the battle come crashing down on him. The space battle, General Anakin's orders to put the entire fleet into retreat as the land battle led by General Kenobi failed, then that blasted tractor beam which held only his ship in place. While it meant that Commander Fil and the 3 Jedi managed to escape and fight another day, it only spelled doom for him.

He remembers the clones firing at the boarding marines, who push them back. When he joins the fight, he fought them with everything he had, but one female marine in light blue armor gave him a monster kick to the head. It didn't make much for the Admiral to put 2 and 2 together.

"Well. Looks like the Admiral's awake." A voice said. He looks to his right and sees a marine standing there in the whole armor, even the helmet. The Admiral can't tell much but he does notice the man's foreign accent, dark blue eyes, skin that's between fair and tanned and curly black hair with some strands sticking out of his helmet. "I would like to show you true UNSC justice for killing some of my comrades, but our leaders would like to speak with you." The marine then walks out of the surgery room and the Admiral's sight.

But not even a minute passes before 3 new people take the soldiers' place. There is a man in a grey uniform with stripes on the side, a tall man wearing bright red armor with a gold facemask and a shotgun in his hands, along with one person the Admiral didn't expect to see here. Even if she's in a holographic projection shown by a circular panel on 4 legs, he immediately recognizes the Madam President of the UEG. Not that Yularen knows what it stands for.

"So, Admiral. You are under arrest for war crimes against the UNSC and leading an attack on a UEG world. I can alleviate your sentence, if you are willing to answer a few questions we have about your Republic." Peterson said, staring intently at their prisoner.

However, Admiral Yularen laughs at their faces. "Do you really think I would betray the glorious Galactic Republic to you UNSC scoundrels? Nothing short of torturing me will get you anything." He boasts, sneering at them coldly. Deep down, he can only hope he doesn't spill any information as he possesses knowledge of many secret Republic bases that would become easy targets quickly.

"Actually, I do have some ideas for how to get that information, you no-good bastard." Sarge says, glaring back at the Admiral.

His companions look at him, surprise written on their faces. "So what do you have in mind, Colonel Sarge?" Peterson asks, a little warily. Yularen can't help but raise an eyebrow at such a weird name.

"Well. We should either stuff his mouth with garlic, tear off both of his ears, take scalding hot dogs off the hot grill and stick them to his skin or we should call up Dr. Grey." Sarge says matter-of-factly, his voice holding a deeper accent but different from the previous soldier.

Yularen can't help but stare at the red-armored soldier, his jaw hanging open for the first time in his life at the outright absurdity of his suggestions. 'Is this guy mentally unstable?' He demands in his mind.

Luckily, he's not the only one having those thoughts, since both the other officer and the Madam President back up a little from the red-armored soldier, dumbfounded looks on their faces. Then a split second later, Peterson's face morphs to one of questioning. "Wait. Dr. Emily Grey, as in Chorus's Head Doctor and the leading mind behind all alien technology. Why bring her up?"

"Oh, you'll see. She knows what she's doing." Sarge responds then walks to a wall, pressing a button a box built there. "Dr. Grey, please come to Medical Room 3. We have a special patient for you."

A few seconds' pass before a Chorusan runs into the room. By the build, this Chorusan is female, with shiny white armor and purple trim, even a purple lens where the Doctor can see out. "Hello, Colonel. How are you? You just pulled away from one of my usual patients. Complaining about blood loss, blah blah blah. Now, you said we have a special guest?" Dr. Grey asks with an unusually chippy voice. Yularen can't help but get a sense of dread at what's about to happen.

"That's right. This guy here has decided to join us and less than cooperative. Can you give him your…whatever you call it, your special check-up?" Sarge asks.

"Oh, absolutely. Let me get set up. Now you want me to ask him any questions?" She asks.

"Sure. Here's a list and do…what you do best." Quince says, looking a little worried, then hands a tablet to Dr. Grey.

"Alright. Let's give her some space so she can do her job." Quince said and the trio leaves the surgery room, making their way through the winding halls past the specially armored marines and make it to the bridge. Agent Washington is already there, staring at the holo table.

"Always nice to see you, Madam President. So, how's our guest holding up? If we want anything out of him, we need to start prying for that information, the prison transport's already here." Wash says to them, still a little on edge from the recent battle.

"Don't worry about it. We've already got Dr. Grey on the job." Sarge says, reassuringly. However, Wash is far from reassured.

"Are you fucking crazy?!" Wash shouts, snapping his head up to the group and having an incredulous tone in his voice.

"What's wrong, Wash?" Agent Carolina asks, walking up to the holo table and joining in on the conversation.

"Sarge here just admitted to assigning Dr. Grey to the interrogation of our Admiral guest." Wash says, his voice still an octave higher from shouting.

"Oh dear." Carolina says simply, knowing what's about to happen.

"Alright, please enlighten me. Why is having Dr. Grey in charge of interrogation so cruel?" Peterson asks, unsure of why they're acting like this.

"Well, it's because…" Carolina starts to explain, but then they hear it. Dr. Grey is singing an opera song which can be heard faintly, coupled with equally loud shrieks and shouts of, "No, no, no, no!" along with something that sounds like a whirring saw.

"That's why." Wash said flatly. But after a minute of the faint screams, they suddenly stop. Another minute passes in silence before Dr. Grey runs out to the bridge.

"So sorry to keep you waiting. I had to wash off my equipment after my special checkup. Anyway, I learned that his name is Admiral Wullf Yularen and he was even kind enough to give me the coordinates to 5 hidden Republic bases and medical stations." Dr. Grey says in her usual cheery tone. That only disturbs Peterson and Quince more.

"Well…thank you, Doctor. We'll send some marines to get him unstrapped and loaded up on the prison ship." Peterson says.

"Of course. But before you do that, let me put him back together first." Grey adds then runs back to the surgery room.

"Did she just…" Quince starts, but Washington cuts him off.

"Yes, you heard her right. But don't ask."

After another few minutes of silence, 2 Mother of Invention marines are walking out of the surgery room and to the prison ship, dragging Admiral Yularen between them. He looks horrible, with a sickly shade of skin and stitches all over his body. He is shouting at the top of his lungs, "Please kill me! Death is a blessing compared to that psychopath!" Soon, he is hauled onto the metal tunnel which leads to the prison ship where a handful of their soldiers are also kept.

"Poor guy. I almost feel bad for him. Dr. Grey's always been a little extreme sometimes." Another female voice says and Senator Vanessa Kimball in the flesh walks up to them. "I just wanted to come and say thank you for helping my people."

"No problem at all, Senator. We're going to transport our new prisoners to another world, where they will be properly dealt with. With your help in the war, we will show the under-handed Galactic Republic that we are not the pushovers they think we are." Peterson says confidently.

Kimball looks at Wash then Carolina. "I'm sorry Madam President, but we have to decline your offer. Furthermore, we need to keep this frigate and crew here on the planet. We just don't have the resources to spread to troops that will help you in this galactic war. In order for my planet and people to survive, we need to stay here. But we will fight them."

Michelle looks surprised at the statement, but nods in understanding. "Very well, then. Until we see each other again. President Peterson out." With that, the holo-device turns itself off. Not a second later, Dexter Grif walks to the bridge, holding a slice of apple pie in his hands.

"Oh, hey. What unimportant shit did I miss while I was eating my pie?" He asks, taking a bite of his slice.

"Only you can down an entire pie, Grif." Carolina mumbles, watching as the UNSC fleet pulls out of Chorus's territory, to celebrate their first victory against a relentless enemy that won't stop fighting until they are all dead.

* * *

 _AN:_ Yes, I know. It's more of a filler chapter than anything, but it does show how morale can change after a first battle.

I thought that having a Republic Admiral get tortured by Dr. Grey was appropriate since she did the same thing to that Space Pirate on Red vs. Blue. Speaking of which, the Chorusans and Blood Gulch crew will go away for a good while. But don't worry, they will come back.

Anyway, thank you for your support and I hope to get better as time goes on.

Later!


	10. Chapter 9: Pillar of Winter

**May 1** **st**

 **20 BBY**

 **10:12 am UNSC Time**

 **Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's Private Office**

 **Corusant**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

Much had happened since the Chorusan Massacre, which is now being considered the worst battle in the Galactic Republic's military history.

After that infamous battle, many other smaller battles had occurred, evening the playing field somewhat. The UNSC's better technology and far more seasoned soldiers still give their side an edge, but the Republic's vast armies and the Jedi, along with the CIS's even greater numbers, the war is at a complete stalemate. Whenever one side gains a victory, one of the other sides rise to the challenge and snatch the victory away.

But today, the only Jedi Masters that are still on Corusant, Mace Windu and Yoda, are once again taking a break from the exhausting war and return to the Chancellor's Office. He called both of them hours before, saying that he needs to tell them something urgent that just came up. The doors to the office slide open and Chancellor Palpatine is standing behind his desk.

"Master Jedi. Please, have a seat." Palpatine says in a calm manner, after bowing to the Jedi and waving a hand to the seats before his desk. Windu bows in respect, with Yoda just nodding, and take their respective seats.

"The UNSC are up to something, aren't they?" Yoda asks curiously.

"Yes, Master Yoda, they are. Thanks to our hidden outpost on Esfandia, I have been alerted to some most disturbing information. Apparently, they have constructed a new starship. According to what intel we have, it's been confirmed that the ship is an Infinity-class starship that is named the 'Pillar of Winter'. Now, because this is a new ship, it might have sensitive intel that will greatly benefit the Republic's fight against them." Palpatine says, clicking his fingers together. He is right, since everything that the Republic knows about the UNSC is common knowledge in the UNSC public. To win this fight, they need serious information on who they are up against.

"So you're suggesting we send a Jedi to lead an assault to capture this ship?" Windu suggests.

"Precisely, Master Windu."

"Very well, then. I will gather my fleet and prepare for capturing this ship. Maybe we can reverse-engineer their technology and gain the edge we need." Windu responds, standing up. The Jedi had been struggling with the CIS for over a year, but now that the UNSC is in the picture, the Jedi are just barely keeping up.

"Thank you for taking this mission. The Republic is grateful for your assistance." Palpatine says as Windu walks out of the office. As the Jedi Master is leaving, the holo-device on Palpatine's desk flares up and Obi-Wan Kenobi's image appears.

"Ah, Master Kenobi. What has happened?" Palpatine asks.

After several minutes of walking alone in silence, Windu arrives at the vast ship port. Even after all the clones and ships that were destroyed in the war, the port is still full to the brim with Acclamator ships, with clone soldiers and AT-TEs boarding it. Windu stares at the ship, lamenting on how the Jedi had transitioned from being the galaxy's most famous peacekeepers to generals in a war so quickly.

Shaking his head a little, he walks to one of the new Acclamator ships called Foehammer where he sees his 2nd-in-command going over a data pad. "Commander Ponds." Windu greets.

The clone looks up and turns around to see who spoke. "General Windu." Ponds states, saluting the Jedi. "The last of our men are boarding the ship now, sir. I had just received word about our ship. Permission to speak freely, General?"

"Permission granted, Commander."

"I would normally think that pitting 5 Acclamators against 1 enemy ship is serious overkill. But since we're talking about the UNSC right now; I'm beginning to wonder if what we are bringing to the fight will be enough." Ponds too had fought against both the CIS and UNSC in combat and his former thoughts on their 'measly' fleet had died long ago.

"I can assure you, Commander, we will take everything they throw at us." Windu said, then walks to the ship, Ponds behind him. No matter how tough he sounded to his Commander, Windu is doubting his own words. As the Jedi Master gets to his cabin, he gets into a meditative position and prepares to sink into the Force's embrace to search for anything that will help them in the battle. Below him, the starship's engines roar to life and the ship leaves the ground.

'Well, there's no turning back now.' Windu thinks, before closing his eyes and entering an inner peace.

* * *

 **11:30 am UNSC time**

 **Bridge of the 'Pillar of Winter'**

 **Outside UNSC space, 30,000 klicks from Esfandia**

* * *

Floating alone in the middle of space is the 19,000 feet long Supercarrier, with the name 'Pillar of Winter' written on the side in bold white letters. While it is dangerous to be doing so, the UEG had agreed days after the ship's completion and unveiling that the best method of testing their ship after 10 years of construction is to pit it against a Republic fleet.

So, to make it happen, the Sangheili sent out a broadcast in the language the rest of the galaxy calls 'Basic' that the Republic outpost would intercept and mobilize a fleet, giving the 'Pillar of Winter' a chance to test out all of the most advanced technology the UNSC can produce.

The UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios have yet to find the Republic base on that world, but Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum had volunteered at that meeting to take his fleet and burn the base once it's found.

Standing in the middle of the bridge, talking with the holographic projection of UNSC leader Terrence Hood, is Admiral Jeremy Winter. Jeremy is a tall man, with the soldier's muscular build, short black hair and piercing light blue eyes.

"I had gone through your files, Admiral, and I know that you are one of the UNSC's best Admirals, but know that it will take a while for help to arrive if you encounter any of those Jedi." Lord Hood said, finishing up their conversation.

"Don't worry about it. If a Master's on his way, I might call for help. If not, I will deal with them personally." Winter responds, staring at his superior with rapt attention.

"Very well, then…" Lord Hood is interrupted by loud beeping from the bridge. One of the technicians runs up to them.

"Sirs, our scanners have picked up 5 ships with Republic signatures pulled out of hyperspace seconds ago. One of them is hailing us, but we can't figure out which one."

Winter looks at the projection of his superior officer, one he has respect for. "It's time. Send the word for everyone to get to their battle stations. Lord Hood, remain on hold. We'll find out who we're up against soon enough."

Lord Hood nods and his projection cuts off.

* * *

 **11:40 am UNSC time**

 **Bridge of Galactic Republic Acclamator-class cruiser 'Foehammer'**

 **Border of UNSC Space**

* * *

Standing at the bridge of the Foehammer, 2 Acclamtors flanking on either side, is Mace Windu himself. Being the epitome of a Jedi, he decided to try and hail the ship first and see if he can negotiate a technicality with whoever's in charge.

While his request to speak is being put through, he looks out at the monster of a ship. Windu wondered deep down how long it took to build it. Windu had seen many impressive ships in the past, but this one is a ship that tops all others. After a few seconds, Windu considers recalling the transmission since they wouldn't pick up, but is slightly surprised when the projection of a tall man in a UNSC military uniform appears, standing at attention the way the clones would.

"My name is Admiral Jeremy Winter. I would send my greetings, but considering our current position right now, I'm going to hold the pleasantries." The man, Jeremy, says in a calm manner, unfazed by the Republic fleet before him.

Windu stares at the man calculatingly for a few seconds before deciding to respond. "My name is Jedi Master Mace Windu. I am hailing you to see if we can come to an agreement. I don't want to kill your people; I just want your ship. So, I'm offering that if you surrender your ship now, I promise to spare all of your people and no blood needs to be shed."

Jeremy stares at them as if he's serious, then thinks over his next words while maintaining a neutral face. After a few seconds, he responds. "Do you honestly expect me to surrender a ship my people built to keep them and their allies safe from the likes of you? Well, we'll surrender something to you alright. The destruction wrought by nuclear power. Have a nice day in hell." With that, the transmission cuts off completely.

* * *

 **11:42 am UNSC time**

 **Bridge of 'Pillar of Winter'**

* * *

"All right people, we're going to keep our word. Let's see how they react to an M5000 Hyperion missile." Jeremy shouts to the technicians. They all nod and immediately get to work ensuring the missile is loaded and is ready to fire.

"Admiral Winter." Lord Hood said, his projection pulling up again, "I will send some UNSC ships to help you. I fear that even with the Spartan IVs at your side, even Fireteam Osiris, you won't last long against a Jedi veteran of the Bitter Wars, what they call the Clone Wars. But know that your courage against them will not be forgotten."

"Thank you, Lord Hood. I shall show them what decades of war has made us." Winter responds, then salutes Lord Hood, who returns the gesture as his transmission cuts off.

"Sir, the Hyperion missile is ready!" A technician calls up to the Admiral.

"Fire."

* * *

 **11:43 am UNSC time**

 **Bridge of Foehammer**

* * *

Windu is staring at the carrier ship, wondering about what the Admiral of that ship told him. He knew he heard the term nuclear before and remembers that it isn't good.

"Commander, get all Acclamator ships to set all deflector shields at maximum, then scramble all fighters and then have all Acclamators concentrate fire on the side of the ship." Windu barks, springing to action.

Alarms go off on the ship as his orders are relayed. "General, the carrier ships just launched something at us." A clone technician screams up. Windu's attention snaps to the front, where a long grey cylinder that gets wider the farter it goes down is flying right at the Acclamator on the far left. The clones man the side cannons and try to fire at the missile, but it jerks around the shots like it's being guided. After a few seconds of attempted firing, the missile touches the side of the ship. A horrible moment of silence passes before the missile explodes. The raw power of the explosion sends the Foehammer rocking a little, but the 2 Republic ships are caught in the massive explosion and their reactors go critical, setting off chain reactions all over and resulting in an even larger explosion.

The explosion is so devastating, the Foehammer pulls to the right, risking bumping into the other ships just to stay out of the way. "I…I've never seen any missile do something like that before." Ponds murmurs, awed and horrified at the UNSC's power once again.

Windu stares out before coming to a decision. "Scramble all fighters. I will take the lead and try boarding that ship and once I get inside, open the docking bays so you can land. If we can pull it off, we can end this quickly." He then runs down the hall and after passing by numerous cabins and clones running to their battle stations, Mace arrives at the docking bay. Running past the vast activity of the ship, Windu uses the Force to open his cockpit and jumps in. After getting settled and closing the cockpit, his fighter flies out of the now-open docking bay and towards the enemy ship. Behind him, all the fighters of the other ships also launch and fly out in a swarm. As they approach the Pillar of Winter, something happens that would haunt Windu for a long time.

The sides of the ship open up and dozens of Broadswords fly out, along with 2 Strident-class frigates. To top it all off, Windu notices 4 cannons activate and point at the fighters. The cannons glow white before unleashing a blast of energy only their front cannons make, blasting through a pack of Republic fighters. Windu speeds his fighter up, going as fast as the ship can, racing the hull, which is closing up.

But after a second, he clears the closing doors and flies right into the docking bay, where numerous UNSC marines jump out of the way to avoid being crushed. The marines raise their weapons and fire at the fighter but the cockpit opens up and Windu leaps out, lightsaber activated.

The marines back up and fire while they start running to stay out of his blade's way. Suddenly, the Force screams at Windu, who jumps to the side, narrowly avoiding a missile striking his spot. The Jedi looks up and notices a giant green machine staring down at him, one arm shaped like a turret while the other is in the form of a rocket launcher.

Windu Force pushes the machine towards the soldiers who either just barely jump out of the way or get crushed as he runs to a terminal near the edge of the bay. The Force is telling him that's the control panel. He pulls the lever and the doors groan as they open up. Sensing another attack, Windu raises his lightsaber to deflect the bullets, but receives a punch to the side of his face. The power behind the punch sends Windu sprawling a little before regaining his composure and looking at his assailant. He is a tall man with grey armor, the symbol of the ONI on his left breastplate, and a helmet with a light blue facemask.

"I am Jameson Locke, Spartan of the UNSC. You will pay for nearly killing one of my teammates and many UNSC marines." Locke says then points his pistol at the Jedi and fires. Windu dodges and slashes the pistol in half with his. Windu doesn't want to kill them since they are humans like him, so he believes beating them into submission is the best way to go, unless he is required to end them. Locke jumps back to avoid the next lightsaber slash, then grumbles as he drops his pistol and charges at Windu with his fists raised. Seeing no choice, the 2 get into a fist fight, one trying to gain an advantage over the other as the docking bay opens up completely, but because there's a shield up, the vacuum of space doesn't pull the crew out.

The fist fight goes on for another few seconds before Windu's Force-enhanced reflexes allow him to gain an edge and knock the Spartan to his knees. Windu activates his lightsaber and points it at Jameson's head, seeing no other way around what needs to be done. "You fought valiantly, Spartan. But now, I'm afraid you must die." As Windu is about to make the killing blow, a battle rifle goes off and Windu dodges out of the way, but one of the bullets grazes his shoulder. Windu turns around and sees an armored Admiral Winter pointing a battle rifle at him.

"I don't think so. All the men on this ship are under my protection so I will fight you myself." Winter growls.

Suddenly, the comms flare up on Windu's communicator. "Sir, thank you for getting the docking bay's open but we can't get inside. Their weapons are just too powerful for our fighters and UNSC reinforcements have just arrived."

Windu closes his eyes. He now realizes it's foolish and exhausting to continue this fight, so he does the one thing he doesn't want to do, but has to. "Commander. Send me an LAAT to pick me up. Tell all surviving Acclamators to pick up any fighters left and get out of here." He then kills the comm line then raises his lightsaber to deflect the bullets of the rest of Fireteam Osiris's members, who are covering for the Admiral as he pulls a weary Locke to safety.

Sinking into the Force's embrace, he activates his lightsaber and holds his ground, deflecting shot after shot until an LAAT lands behind him. The blast door opens and the clones fire as Windu backs up and walks onto the gunship, which immediately closes up and flies out back towards the Foehammer. Its side weapons are blazing at full power, keeping the UNSC ships at bay. Soon, the LAAT lands in the docking bay, which immediately closes up. Once settled, the Foehammer enters hyperspace.

Windu gets off the LAAT and looks around. "General." Ponds shouts, running to him. "It's good to see you still alive. But we lost so horribly…"

"I know. I will report it to the Chancellor immediately." Windu responds sharply then takes the slow walk back to the bridge. He passes by the clones who are looking down, talking with each other. The very air is full of pure fear at how horribly outmatched they were.

But soon enough, Windu returns to the bridge where the projection of the Chancellor is active and waiting. "Ah, Master Windu. I hope your mission went well?"

Windu shakes his head. "No, Chancellor. We never stood a chance against that ship. It's obvious that it was made for war and it obliterated our ships. I even fought one of those Spartans I've heard rumors about, and they are certainly live up to their reputation. All of them fought with everything they had."

Palpatine looks down for a second before looking back up. "Well, that's most unfortunate. At least you'll be happy to hear that we managed to gain a foothold in UNSC territory. We captured a forest world they call Hope and are trying to enter Sangheili space, which isn't going as well. But thanks to our new outpost, we can scout out more UNSC worlds and see who we are up against."

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, that's all today, folks.

Yes, I wanted to mess with the Republic a little by giving the UNSC a 2nd Infinity-class supercarrier. Anyway, things are about to get heated up even more. Next time, some very iconic Halo characters make an appearance.

Well, I will see you all later!

PS: Did anyone get the reference I was going for?


	11. Chapter 10: A Chief of War

**May 5** **th**

 **2583**

 **11:50 am UNSC time**

 **Hidden Base, 5** **th** **floor**

 **Hope**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

After numerous days of planning and restless work, the Galactic Republic succeeded in establishing a 5-story fortress in the center of a vast canyon, which would provide protection from aerial attacks and probes are watching the planet, rigged to alert them if the UNSC returns to try and retake the world the Republic conquered. Four anti-air heavy cannons are installed in each corner of the base, along with 10 AT-TE tanks patrolling the area, 2,000 clone soldiers overall, 50 LAATs and an Acclamator-class starship on the South side of the base. All of this is under the command of Clone Commander Colt and Jedi Master Alli Gallia.

Right now, Gallia and Colt are both standing at the edge of the top floor, watching the setup of the new base. Even with all the setup and donation of many military weapons, Gallia can sense the fear radiating from all of her soldiers; for good reason. Establishing a base inside UNSC territory, while it will provide a new angle to the war, it also leaves them wide-open to enemy attacks.

As the duo watch their surroundings and the vast forest that rests in the canyon, a Republic technician walks up to them. "Commander, General, Chancellor Palpatine is calling you."

"Thank you." Gallia said then the 2 walk to the holo table. After the technician pushes some buttons, the projection of the Supreme Chancellor himself appears.

"Commander Colt, General Gallia. I hope things are going well at your new base." Palpatine says.

"Yes, sir. But it's almost too quiet. My men are starting to get anxious about an upcoming assault. But our base is already completed and we will start sending out search parties and learn more about who we are fighting. Oh, and we also captured some…odd UNSC troops today." Colt said.

"Tell me. What do you mean by 'strange?'" Palpatine asks, looking curious.

"Chancellor, I'll answer that. Apparently, a civil war has been going on that we didn't know about. A war between 2 armies: a red army and a blue army. The soldiers we captured are wearing some kind of super armor that's more durable and efficient than the standard UNSC marine armor." Allia explains. Palpatine's face shows interest in the soldiers just mentioned.

"I see. Do you think they will be able to escape and alert the UNSC to your base's location?"

"Um…" Allia says, stroking her chin, trying to find the right way to describe them.

* * *

 **12:00 pm UNSC time**

 **Hidden Base, 3** **rd** **floor**

* * *

On the prison level, the 2 clone soldier guards are about to go insane.

They are forced to endure the 8 soldiers trapped in a single cell. Although soldiers might me a generous term to describe them.

All of the guys are wearing yellow armor of varying colors. There is brass armor, bright yellow, lemon and ivory. For the girls, they are wearing armor of varying shades of green. There is the green one would find on camo, bright green, jade and olive green. All of them are arguing with each other at the tops of their lungs.

After a few minutes of mind-numbing arguing about who got them there, who the 'weirdos' are, and more, a soldier wearing brass armor, a gold facemask and a red vizor walks to the bars of the cell and asks the guards with an Australian accent, "Hey dudes. This shit's about to get real, so do you mind if I move to another cell?"

Before the guards can register this strange request, a female soldier wearing olive green armor and thicker shoulder pads than her comrades also walk up to the bars. "For once, I agree with Geoff. I want to be able to read my book, 'the Lost World,' in peace." She said, a light British accent in her voice.

"Whoa. You actually read that? That isn't nearly as good as the original Jurassic Park." Geoff said.

"You're full of bullshit. Sequels are better." Then they too start arguing again, making the clone wish they were assigned to patrol duty.

* * *

 **12:05 pm UNSC time**

 **Hidden Base, 5** **th** **floor**

* * *

"No, I don't think they will be smart enough to escape." Colt answers bluntly.

"I see. But do know that until a later time, the Republic can't spare any resources to continue expanding your base. We have been trying to gain a foothold in Sangheili territory, but they are just as brutal as the UNSC, if not more, when it comes to war. We recently received intel that they completely annihilated an entire CIS fleets that tried to invade before we did, and the last transmission we made to them, the fleet are still trying to get away from."

"Thank you for the warning, Chancellor. We will hold out as long as we can and provide any intel we can gather on our enemies." Gallia said, bowing in respect.

The Chancellor nods his head and the projection cuts off.

"I can only hope that we have already seen the toughest the UNSC have to offer. That would make this war go faster." Colt said, looking almost doubtful of his own words. Gallia also holds onto that hope, but the Force is whispering to her, telling her that the worst is yet to come.

* * *

 **4:00 pm UNSC time**

 **Orbiting Hope**

* * *

While the Republic is expanding their base, a lone ship pulls out of slipspace.

It's the Infinity-class supercarrier, the 'Infinity.' While the ship is ordered not to engage the planet as that would damage the planet itself, they will ensure the Republic is thrown out of their world.

The Infinity turns sideways and its docking bay opens up, allowing a lone Pelican to fly out and down to the lone planet. Stealthily, it passes through all the Republic's scanning probes, catching fire a little as it flies down through the atmosphere. After several minutes' pass, the Pelican gets closer and closer to the ground before touching down on the ground, miles away from the lone Republic base as to not draw attention.

The hatch of the Pelican opens up and 10 men and women jump out, all of whom are ODSTs. Amongst them is the semi-famous ODST known simply as Rookie. After the ODSTs get out, however, another man steps out. He is a new machine made from Forerunner technology and completely run by an AI program based off the legendary war hero Sergeant Major Avery Jr. Johnson. "All right men. Remember, we are going to run into that base and shoot those inbred sons of bitches until we have nothing left to shoot them with, after which we will start tearing them apart with nothing but our bare fists! Start marching now!" Johnson said.

The ODSTs nod and start running into the woods, with the plan of sabotaging their ships so the Republicans can't escape and then popping them after finding suitable cover. Johnson then turns around and looks at the last member of the group, who just jumped out of the Pelican after inspecting his assault rifle, the sunlight gleaming brightly off his dark green Mark VIII Mjolnir armor*. "Chief, you ready to kick some more ass today?" Johnson asks, after lighting a cigar and putting it in his mouth.

"When am I never?" the legendary soldier, John-117 or better known as Master Chief, asks dryly.

"That's the kind of attitude I want to hear. Remember the plan, Chief. I want you to go down there, take out those AT-TEs and kill as many of those inbred clones as possible. I will be right behind you, giving you cover fire. If you encounter a Commander or one of those blasted Jedi, make sure to do what you do best." He then says, grabbing a chaingun from the Pelican. "Good luck, Chief."

"Thank you, Johnson." With those last words, Chief runs into the woods as well, jumping over tree roots that are in his way. As Master Chief runs, the ground starts sloping downward, forming the valley ONI confirmed is the base where the Galactic Republic is making their base. Honestly, Chief is disgusted with them, having heard of their past corruption and how it's the reason why they are stuck in a civil war in the first place. As for the Jedi, Chief considers them honorable, if not a little arrogant for jumping into the war immediately.

After a few minutes of silent running, Chief stops. In front of him is an AT-TE on its patrol. On the motion tracker in Chief's helmet, he notices the rest of his ODST squad, surrounding the tank. Knowing what to do, Chief starts running to the AT-TE which is turning so that its back is facing him and jumps onto the steps of the tank. Making his way to the door, Chief watches as it slides open automatically. The clone soldier never stood a chance as Chief starts firing his rifle, running inside at the same time. He kills the rest of the clones inside in mere seconds before they can register what just happened. Chief then slings his rifle and pulls out his Energy Sword, activating it and stabbing it into the control console. The AT-TE's systems start going haywire and the alarm blares loudly. Taking that as his que, Chief runs back out the way he came in, jumping away from the tank as it explodes loudly. Seconds later, what remains of the once-formidable tank crumples to the ground and lays as a smoking, blackened scrap pile.

"This is Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra 117 to all UNSC personnel. Engage any Republicans you encounter. That explosion will most definitely attract their attention. I will be going in and clearing out their headquarters." Chief says as he starts running again in the direction of the base.

"Yes, Master Chief. Don't worry about the Star Destroyer or the gunships. Me and the rest of my squad will take care of those." Rookie responds before closing his comm line. Chief keeps on running until he comes across a small squad of 3 clones nearby. Stealthily, Chief pulls out a combat knife and stabs it into the back of a soldier. Before the body can even fall, Chief stabs the 2nd clone and as the 3rd is about to fire, Chief throws the knife, impaling it into the soldier's neck. While Master Chief isn't as skilled with knives as others in the UNSC are, like the ex-Freelancer Agent Washington, Chief is more than capable.

Pulling out the knife and scrapping it on a tree to clean the blood up, Chief makes his way through once again before finally arriving at the fortress. Quickly, the Spartan II looks around and registers the heavy cannons, the remaining AT-TEs and hundreds of clones patrolling.

The motion tracker installed in Chief's helmet is alight with enemy signals. To most people, one soldier attacking a base this size would be suicide, but for the Master Chief, it's a normal day in the UNSC. Doing what he does best, Chief dashes at full speed to the base, his assault rifle in hand. The clones notice the soldier and start firing on him, but most of the shots miss him due to the randomness that befalls all blasters. In response, Chief waves his rifle around, firing in every direction.

Almost all the clones receive the bullets, which punch through their armor with ease, and fall to the ground dead. The clones manning the anti-air guns try pointing them at the lone Spartan, but multiple sniper shots go off and the clones also fall to the ground, dead. The ODSTs jump out of their cover and fire their battle and sniper rifles. As for Sergeant Johnson, he also jumps out and lets loose his chaingun, which mows down even more soldiers like it's nobody's business.

"Chief, get in there! We'll take care of these bastards out here." Johnson shouts over the noise and concentrates on the battle again. The Spartan nods and runs to the fortress, throwing a frag grenade against the wall. The grenade explodes, leaving a hole in the wall, from which clone soldiers also run out. But the Master Chief is faster, firing his shots until it stops and the gun clicks. Ducking behind a crate so his armor's shields can recharge, he also reloads his assault rifle. After that's done, he jumps over the crate, firing at the clones as he runs inside the round complex. In front of him is an elevator shaft that will go straight to the top.

Seeing no other way inside, Chief grabs the elevator doors and with all his might, pulls the doors apart, revealing the elevator. Chief gets out his Energy Sword and stabs it into the ceiling, melting the top, and climbs up to the roof. Knowing that elevators are too slow, Chief starts climbing up the wall as fast as he can until he reaches the 3rd floor, where numerous shouts can be heard. Now a little curious, he grabs the doors and pulls them apart. Inside are 2 clones, gripping their ears to drown out the arguing UNSC soldiers in the cells. If Master Chief remembers the files right, this must be another branch of the infamous Red and Blue armies.

The clones notice him and scramble for their weapons, but Chief shoots them first. The soldiers in the cells stop arguing and stare in awe.

"Holy shit, it's Master Chief!" A woman in jade-colored armor said, almost squealing a little.

"Wait, where have I heard of you?" The bright yellow armored man asks, a think American accent in his voice.

"He's only the guy who saved our very lives from extinction, dumbass. You don't know that because you worked in oil pipeline management." A woman in bright green armor said.

"Enough. I will let you out, but I want you to kill the ones who put you here." Chief said, losing his patience.

The 8 prisoners look at each other. "If you do that, will we be free to kick the shit out of all rappers?" Geoff asks cautiously.

Chief considers his options and decides agreeing is the best way to get help from these idiots. "All right. Hang on." He gets out his Energy Sword and slices the bars.

"OK. Let's kick those dicks into next week." The yellow soldier said, running to the barracks and grabbing a railgun. "Before you go, the assholes who run this place are on the 5th floor. For all those who work in pipelines, kill them."

Chief nods and runs out of the prison block, starting the climb again. But as he goes up, loud explosions go off, rocking the base and the power goes out. Having no more time, Chief finishes the climb up, noticing the doors slowly sliding open. "We got 'em open!" A technician said, but Chief grabs his leg and pulls him into the shaft, after which he jumps up to meet a shocked group of 2 technicians, along with who's wearing Jedi attire and a clone commander.

"I'll defeat him. Get out of here!" Gallia said, activating her lightsaber. Chief once again pulls out his energy sword and activates it before he lunges forward. Gallia lifts her blade and the 2 swords clash, producing a humming sound unheard before. Master Chief then swings the blade to the side then tries to stab her, but she blocks the movement. Many seconds pass for the short duel, both attacking and parrying each other's movements. Soon, Chief gets an idea then waits for the Jedi to try and stab him again. But this time, he stabs upwards, catching the lightsaber between the Energy Sword's 2 blades. Twisting the blade, Chief pulls to the right, disarming the Jedi. Using his augmented reflexes, he grabs his assault rifle and fires it at her. She just barely has time to freeze the bullets midair, but can only watch with wide eyes as Chief lunges again, stabbing both blades into her chest.

"I admit, you Jedi are more honorable than I thought. You should have stayed out of this war, for you are better than the scum you work for. Rest in peace." Chief said, admitting what he had observed during the duel. Gallia looks shocked at his words before the light goes out in her eyes. Retracting the blades from her chest and looks up. Unfortunately, he failed to notice the giant hole in the glass window. Walking to it and looking down, he notices the Commander and the technicians had jumped down and are riding towards the gunships on speeders, the smoldering wreck that was once an Acclamator ship burning brightly against the soldier's armor on the ground. The ODSTs, Johnson, and the 8 soldiers are fighting valiantly against the clones and winning. As the fight goes on, an ODST fires his sniper into a technician's head, killing the man and causing the speeder to veer into the other technicians trying to escape, killing them instantly.

Suddenly, a loud explosion goes off, causing Chief to look to the sky. In the sky, 5 Venators are fighting against a single Sangheili CCS-class battleship. After several tense minutes, Colt and 8 remaining clones board an LAAT and seal the blast door. Immediately, the pilot pulls the gunship off the ground, 3 others on each side, and they fly into space. As it reaches higher and higher, the grimmer the battle looks. Sangheili fighters are flying around, obliterating Republic fighters. One of the Venators is boarded by a Sangheili landing craft. Despite holding onto hope, Colt is accepting that the Republic lost a base and a Venator. Two of the clones get into the turrets and fire green lazers at the fighters, who expertly evade the shots, but it distracts them long enough for a Venator to open its docking bay and emit them inside, along with all the other fighters, the Venator's side weapons giving cover fire so the Sangheili don't board them. After all the clones are safely inside, the last 4 Venators enter hyperspace, successfully escaping.

"Sir, who was that soldier? He tore through us like we were nothing and those black-armored guys were better than the marines." A clone said, still in shock about how quickly things turned around.

"I don't know." Colt said, a grim tone in his voice. If the UNSC and Sangheili can get the better of them as quickly as they did and not prepare for them, what chance does the Republic stand?

* * *

 _AN:_ Yes, Master Chief makes an appearance. He will appear much more in the future, and it will be awesome.

*For the Mark VIII armor, it's basically the armor MC wore during Halo 4, but it has major upgrades: Forerunner-based shielding, the ability to safely use 2 armor enhancements and have the motion tracker determine friend from foe without an AI's help.

I hope you like the RvB reference I put in. As for if they appear again, I have no idea.

Anyway, see you next time when the Jedi try to fight MC again.

PS: I might slow down on update periods for school. I have the normal load of school but I will have to study for ACT again.


	12. Chapter 11: Shaak Ti vs Master Chief

**May 7** **th**

 **20 BBY**

 **12:10 pm UNSC time**

 **Galactic Senate Chamber**

 **Corusant**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

The Republic, after 2 days, received word of the rather embarrassing defeat at the hands of both the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios.

The battered Venators returned to Corusant, with Commander Colt leading them. Today, an emergency Senate meeting is being held to address the alarming change in events. In regards of the fall of one of their finest members, the Jedi High Council will also be present for the meeting.

"Greetings, glorious members of the Galactic Republic! We are here today to hear the report on what happened on the destruction of our former outpost in UNSC territory. Commander Colt, please step forward and tell us how the battle went." Chancellor Palpatine said, addressing the commander who is also a part of this meeting, something that doesn't happen very often.

"Of course, Chancellor. Everything seemed normal at first, the base was secured and we were gaining more control of the planet by the day. But after a while, we all heard an explosion, so I sent troops out to investigate. Our troops didn't report back and that's when it happened. UNSC troops in strange black armor, led by a man who is obviously a sergeant. The worst of them all, though, was a green-armored Spartan. He single-handedly wiped out hundreds of my brothers-in-arms as he made his way through our base and freeing some prisoners we took. He is quite possible the greatest soldier I've ever seen. His marksmanship skills make the mandalorians look rusty and used some kind of energy sword to kill Jedi General Adi Gallia in single combat. Only myself and a handful of soldiers escaped on a gunship that wasn't destroyed like our Venator was. Luckily or unluckily, a branch of the 385th clone legion was retreating from a Sangheili attack. We grouped up and fled altogether." Colt said, the memories of that fateful battle flashing through his mind.

The Senate and Jedi are silent, comprehending this news. "Thank you, Colt. You are dismissed." Palpatine said. Colt nods, his panel leaving the Senate hall.

"What will we do about this?" A senator demands, looking outraged at the report.

"The only thing we can do is continue our war against them." Palpatine said, looking troubled at the news. That statement only results in even more outbursts from the Senate, disagreement on what to do spreading like wildfire.

After a loud shout of "Order!" the noise dies away again.

"I confess to you all, my fellow members of the Senate, I do not know what we are truly up against. Which is why, from now on, we shall place a bounty on the heads of any UNSC Spartans we come across. That way, we can figure out who or what they are." Palpatine said.

For the next hour, the Senate debates on how high the bounty should be and agreement on figuring out who is mysterious Spartan was before the meeting is adjourned. The Jedi Council left and returns to the temple. Yoda, in the back of the group, looks at the vast city-scape of Corusant as they take a ship back and like every day before, he sighs dejectedly. Each day that the war lasts feels like a century to the old Jedi Grandmaster.

* * *

 **May 8** **th**

 **9:36 am UNSC time**

 **Supreme Chancellor's Private Office**

 **Corusant**

* * *

The very next morning, Shaak Ti, Windu and Yoda head to the Chancellor's office upon his request. Normally, they would have been informed of a meeting like this hours before, but this meeting was called on quick notice. Soon, the 2 Jedi enter the office and take their usual seats.

"Master Jedi. I'm sorry for this sudden meeting, but I bring urgent news from our fortress at Esfandia. We had received word from the planet that 2 UNSC warships have been sighted there for mysterious reasons. I have reason to believe the UNSC might start invading our fortress world, to start closing the distance between us and them." Palpatine responds.

The Jedi look at each other, slightly disturbed by this news. "Well, since Masters Skywalker and Kenobi are still fighting off a CIS invasion, I'll handle this matter. I shall lead a battle group to capture one of these ships. Who knows, we might use this opportunity to glean some much-needed information." Shaak Ti said.

"Thank you, Master Ti. May the Force be with you." Palpatine said. The Jedi in question stands up, bows in respect, and leaves.

* * *

 **11:24 am UNSC time**

 **Orbiting Esfandia**

 **Galactic Republic Acclamator-class cruiser**

* * *

Shaak Ti is standing on her ship's bridge as it, along with 3 other Venators, pull out of hyperspace, coming up on the barren world of Esfandia. Sure enough, a sandy-colored ship and a Stalwart frigate are floating above the planet, perfectly still. The Jedi gets an idea of what's going on, she turns around to commander Colt, who volunteered to join the mission to redeem himself.

"Colt, relay the orders to scramble all fighters. We need to distract that ship before they find our base on the planet. Then have the ship turn 45 degrees to the starboard side, laying down cover fire. Finally, I want a gunship full of ARCs to go in and capture the ship. Since our astromechs can't gain access to the ship's database, we need the ship intact."

"Yes, General. All clones, get to your battle stations and defend the fighters. We're going in hot!" Colt said, his orders over the ship's comm lines.

After several tense minutes, the docking bays open up and all of the Republic's fighters fly out, as well as the fighters on the Venators. In response, the prowlers also let loose their fighters. The 2 groups are perfectly even in the fight, keeping them at a stalemate while the ARCs on a lone LAAT flies around the battle towards one of the prowlers. Once the Republic ships are properly aligned, they start opening fire on the prowler the LAAT is flying at. After a minute of concentrated fire, a hole is punched in the ship's armor, allowing the LAAT to fly in before the blast shields pull up.

'Let's hope they can do it.' Shaak Ti thinks, a tiny bit worried that something bad is about to happen. She has faith in the ARCs, but is unsure how they are in fighting UNSC troops. The battle goes on for several more minutes, the Republic finally gaining an edge over the UNSC due to the Republic's vastly superior numbers.

Suddenly, a clone technician runs up to the Jedi. "General, we are receiving a transmission from the prowler ship the ARCs infiltrated."

Nodding in gratitude, she walks to the holotable, with the projection flaring to life. Two ARC troopers are standing there, a man in a UNSC captain's uniform between them. "General, we have beat back UNSC forces and taken the controls of the ship." One of the ARCs said.

"Very good. Now, captain, do you have anything to say about your government? If you say something, I can promise you alleviated detainment time." Shaak Ti said calmly, hoping to end the violence as soon as possible.

The man looks at the Jedi and very rarely has she seen the determination burning in his eyes. "Never, Jedi. It is upon my head that I shall prevent anything from filling your shit-filled brains. Me nor my men will live to see the next day, but at least your men will go to hell with us." He said, suddenly twisting himself into action, pulling the ARC trooper on his left in front of him as he grabs a pistol and fires it at the other ARC. The transmission quickly cuts out.

"Send some soldiers to that ship now and start securing it. Whatever he was talking about, it can't be anything good." She said, a hint of alarm in her voice.

But before anyone can react, the prowler explodes in a cascade of red and orange. The force from the explosion sends fighters flying all directions and actually rocks the Acclamator faintly.

"He's gone mad!" Colt exclaims, realizing that the captain made his own ship's engine go critical. But Shaak Ti knew better. She realizes that they knew there was vital information on those ships and they would rather die like heroes than let it fall into enemy hands. As much as it pains her to think it, she actually gains some respect for the group.

After the UNSC and Republic fighters regain control of their ships, they immediately start fighting again. Until…

"General! We are picking up slipspace disturbances about 50 klicks behind the Stalwart." Another technician said, shaking the Jedi out of her stupor.

Sure enough, a giant slipspace ripple appears and 4 ships appear. Three of the ships are Halycon-class cruisers, but the 4th ship is the one that makes all of the Republic almost quake in fear. It's the infamous 'Pillar of Winter,' cousin to the Infinity, which is rumored to be cutting through the CIS like they're made of plastic.

Suddenly, the 'Pillar of Winter' opens one of its docking bays and a strange arrow-shaped ship is shot outward, flying out towards her Acclamator. The lone Jedi in this simple mission gets a warning from the Force, telling her that she needs to confront whoever's inside. "Colt, I'm leaving you in charge of the space battle. Make sure to keep pressure on our new guests while I take care of whoever just arrived." She said, leaving the bridge for the docking bay.

As she arrives, she feels a powerful suction towards the docking bay, which suddenly stops. Dreading what it means, she continues making her way to the bay where the ship is still, the point stuck in the ground. The clones still in the bay are pointing their rifles at it, expecting anything. Suddenly, the door bangs open, sending an unfortunate clone flying back. A man in thick, dark green armor jumps out, doing a front flip and shooting even more clones with a standard UNSC pistol before landing on his feet. He continues firing on the clones, killing them quickly while also running at the last one. Then, to Shaak Ti's horror, he punches the clone in the face, caving the helmet's front in and sending the man flying into the air before he falls to the ground, dead.

"Who are you?" Shaak Ti demands, activating her lightsaber.

The Spartan turns to Shaak Ti, also pulling out a cylinder and activating his Energy Sword. "My name is of no importance. But I am here to finish this fight." He said calmly before lunging at his opponent.

She raises her blade, blocking his strike, then they start dancing around the docking bay, blocking each other's strikes. Shaak Ti is impressed with his skill, but she decides to stop messing around and starts fighting harder than she had before. Eventually, she gets an idea and clangs her lightsaber between the 2 plasma blades, then she quickly uses the Force to push the Sword out of her opponent's hands. He quickly jumps back, scooping a dead clone's lazer rifle off the ground and firing it at her. She deflects the shots, but he gets closer and closer until he slams it into the Jedi's stomach. She feels several of her ribs crack under the pressure of the impact, something that is only possible through enhancements. Which normal Spartans don't have, but…

That's when it dawns on Shaak Ti who she's fighting as she's on her knees, gasping for any form of air. She needs to get this information back to the Republic as soon as possible. But as the legendary soldier lifts his new rifle, he turns his attention from her and starts firing straight ahead. The Jedi also turns around and is relieved to see Colt and dozens of clones and all of the ship's technicians firing at once. Master Chief wisely takes cover behind a crate, occasionally revealing himself to fire his rifle, killing a clone with each shot. Slowly, Shaak Ti uses the Force to regain her lightsaber and crawls away from the growing battle, only for 2 clones to pick her up. "Come on. We're getting out of here." Colt said as the group make their way towards one of the LAATs and boarding it. Instantly, the 2 clones start wrapping her in bandages as the others keep the Spartan II busy, but his shields take every ounce of lazer fire as he fires back, destroying one of the LAATs that contains all of the technicians and engineers.

Luckily, their particular LAAT is ready, as the blast doors close and the ship flies up into open space as the docking bay opens up. Suddenly, a horrible thought strikes the Jedi General. "Commander, the ship. If the UNSC gets any data from our ship…" She trails off.

"Don't worry, General. We took a leaf from the other captain's books and had the engineers rig the engines so the ship will explode in a few minutes." He said as the ship flies towards a Venator ship, which is already getting heavily damaged from the 'Pillar of Winter's' and the Stalwart's MAC cannons, which had already destroyed another Venator ship.

But luck turned to the Republic again, and a whole fleet of Republican ships flew off of Esfandia. They start firing at the ships, taking out UNSC fighters and severely weakening the Halycon ship's deflector shields. No one notices a single Pelican flying towards the barren Acclamator, pick up the Master Chief, and leave just as the cruiser also explodes. After the Pelican and any surviving fighters land on the Halycon ship, the 'Pillar of Autumn,' the UNSC ships and the 'Argo' enter slipspace and leave the battlefield.

Numerous cheers go off from inside the ship, the clones chanting a solid victory against the UNSC. After the noise dies down and most of the clones are at ease, one of them runs up to Shaak Ti, who is sitting up, but breathing through an oxygen device. "General, the Chancellor's calling. He wants to speak with you." He said.

She nods in understanding and slowly stands up, walking towards the bridge with the help of 2 clones. Once she arrives, she notices the Chancellor staring at her with Windu, Kenobi, Skywalker and Yoda at his side. "General Ti, I hope… oh my, are you alright?" He asks, noticing the bandages on her chest and the fact she's being supported by clones.

"Yes, Chancellor. I'm alright." She said calmly, but her voice is still full of pain.

"Who did this to you?" Windu asks bitterly, a grim look on his face as usual.

"The Spartan who wiped out the base on Hope. I figured out who he is. He's the toughest soldier in UNSC history, the one they call 'Master Chief.' He wiped out clones like they're…"

"Calm yourself, Master Ti. Explain from the beginning, can you?" Yoda interrupts her rant, looking at her with interest.

"Of course, Master Yoda. We found the scout ships, which were trying to find our base on Esfandia. We captured one of their ships when the captain went suicidal and blew up his ships, killing an entire squad of ARC troops. After a while, things go well, but then 4 new UNSC ships join the fight; one of which was the 'Pillar of Winter' I heard about. They tore through our fighters like crazy, but to speed up the battle, they sent Master Chief and I fought him. Master Windu, I think if he was fighting with everything he had, he could beat you. He punched me once when he got close and he left me like this. Luckily, all of the Republic forces on Esfandia joined the fight and successfully drove the UNSC away."

A moment of silence passes as everyone tries to digest this news. "Excellent work, General Shaak Ti. You have done a great service for the Republic today. But the troubling news is how dangerous the Spartans are." Palpatine says.

"Indeed, Chancellor. But I think I know how we can gain a much-needed break in this war." Obi-Wan Kenobi said, dtroking his beard.

"Let's hear it, Master." Anakin Skywalker said, a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Well, before this war broke out, I gained basic knowledge of the UNSC. The most sensitive piece of knowledge I know is that the Spartans started on a planet called Reach, but I don't know its location. If the Spartans got augmentations on that planet, we might figure out the biggest mystery: How did the UNSC's technology jump ahead centuries in a matter of decades?" He said.

The air in the bridge is thick as everyone tries to wrap their heads around that piece of news.

* * *

 _AN:_ More MC action!

I know I could have allowed him to kill Shaak Ti, she needs to live for now. But later…harder to say. Thank you all for the support you have given me and know that next chapter, a whole new element I've been looking forward to writing about appears.

See you all next time!

PS: I will not update next week. I am way too busy right now so I'm going to take a break until everything simmers down a little.


	13. Chapter 12: Halo 07 - Part 1

**May 14** **th**

 **20 BBY**

 **3:00 pm UNSC time**

 **Galactic Republic Acclamator-class star cruiser**

 **Corusant**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

Despite what many were expecting, not much happened in the Clone Wars after the Republic's last battle with the UNSC. Of course, there was the brief time when the CIS tried to capture Mon Calamari again, but nothing too dramatic.

Now, however, a secret mission issued by the Supreme Chancellor himself is being carried out, to learn more about how the UNSC became the military titan they are now. To ensure that this mission succeeds for once, Jedi Masters Yoda, Windu, Kenobi, Skywalker and his padawan will be leading Admiral Kendal Ozzel and an entire ship of clones.

The mission will take a long time, without a doubt, since they will be traversing UNSC territory. Not even the bravest of the Jedi dare go near anything relating to the Sangheili. After all the preparations had been made, the lone ship leaves Corusant. So, as a precaution, Admiral Tarkin and a lone Venator will be on standby to assist the Acclamator if things got serious.

"All technicians, prepare to activate the hyperdrives." Ozzel said to the clones on the bridge once the starship has safely left the city planet. The technicians jump on the order and within seconds, the Acclamator starts speeding up and the very stars around them start distorting as the ship enters hyperspace. The Jedi who are also standing on the bridge start to walk towards their various cabins.

"Master, what do you think we will find?" Ahsoka asks Anakin, a somewhat worried look on her face no matter how much she tries to hide it.

"I don't know, Snips. I don't know." Anakin responds as he continues walking. In truth, Anakin can't help but feel somewhat anxious for what they will discover, mostly because of the visions he's been having. In those visions, he witnessed himself and the rest of the Jedi fighting clones and marines. But something was wrong with them. They were wobbling around, letting out strange gurgling sounds and had 3 strange vines wrapped around their arms. From his talks with Kenobi and Windu, he's not the only one who had that particular vision.

All of the Jedi then return to their various cabins. After Anakin checks to make sure his lightsaber is still working in prime condition, he sits on the ground and starts meditating to clear his mind. The Force has not been kind to the Jedi lately, even Anakin. Even after hours of traveling in hyperspace, the young Jedi never received another vision from the Force.

Soon, the door opens and Obi-Wan walks inside. "Anakin. Your presence is required on the bridge. We are pulling out of hyperspace."

Anakin opens his eyes and stands up, facing his old Master and greatest friend. "Of course. Lead the way." With that, the 2 Jedi leave the cabins and return to the bridge, where the rest of the Jedi are also gathered. Before all of their eyes, the ship pulls out of hyperspace.

"Admiral, where are we?" Windu asks, watching the space outside warily, expecting an attack any second now.

"No idea, sir. We just don't have enough intel on our enemies to…" the Admiral starts, but a technician interrupts him.

"Sir! We are picking up numerous slipspace activity on our starboard side, about 500 klicks from our current position."

"To that sector, turn the ship. Want to see who we're up against, I do." Yoda said, leaning on his cane. The technicians nod, getting to work. Under the Jedi's and Admiral's feet, the ship starts turning to where they can see something strange yet terrifying. About 10 Strident-class warships are floating in the middle of space, and judging by the way they are turning to the Republic ship, the UNSC is also aware of their enemies' presence.

"Everyone, prepare to make the jump to hyperspace! We're getting out of here." Ozzel said. None of the clones needed to be told twice as they immediately get to work, hoping to survive. As the Stridents start raining fire on the Acclamator, causing the ship to rock and forth a little, it manages to jump into hyperspace.

"Something wasn't right about that." Anakin said thoughtfully once he's regained his balance.

"What do you mean, Master? We were ambushed by some UNSC ships." Ahsoka asks, a little confusion on her face.

"No, Anakin's right. Those weren't any normal warships; they were Stridents." Obi-Wan responds, staring at Ahsoka as she puts the pieces together.

"But that variety of ships are always used to defend planets or key facilities. What would they be doing out in the middle of nowhere?"

"We should investigate and soon. Admiral, where are we going?" Windu asks.

For some reason, the Admiral bristles and a look of realization strikes his face. "I…I never said."

"Well, then pull us out!" Windu barks, looking really anxious about the result of this mess up.

"Yes, General." The Admiral said, but the technicians also heard the order and are already making the preparations. Suddenly, the ship starts shaking heavily.

"What now? How are the UNSC still attacking us?" Anakin demands, caught off-guard by the sudden shaking.

"Sirs, this is not an attack. We're closing in on a gravitational pull." A clone responds as he continues his work. After several tense seconds, the Acclamator pulls out of hyperspace.

"What…is that?" A clone asks, complete awe in his voice.

Before their very eyes is a strange sight indeed. It's a giant silver ring, about 10,000 kilometers in diameter, floating in space around another planet, with the inside of the ring brimming with entire bodies of water and forests that look like they can sustain life. Floating in the center of the ring are numerous stations and facilities. "Seen anything like it before, I have not." Yoda admits, still staring at it with a look of curiosity and wonder.

"Well, whatever it is, we need to check it out. I sense that the knowledge we seek is there." Windu answers.

But before the ship can start flying to the giant ring, they notice them. Ten Swords of Sanghelios warships and battle cruisers are floating on the inside of the ring, towards the Acclamator. "Generals! My monitors are picking up even more slipspace activity!"

It is with dread filling the hearts of every Republican that they see the same 10 UNSC Stridents they encountered before appearing on their starboard side again, but closer this time. "Those ships were being sent here." Obi-Wan murmurs, revelation on his face. "Whatever that ring is, they don't want us there."

"Then it's more important to their fight than we think." Ahsoka suggests, "Maybe they have ship yards down there, or weapons that would help us."

Just then, numerous alarms go off. "Sirs! The UNSC are firing at us while the Sangheili ships are fast approaching."

"They want to board us. To make sure none of us survive." Anakin said, his eyes widening in realization. Then he gives the first order, "Get Commander Cody on the line and tell him to have all side weapons blazing."

"I also want all clone soldiers to be armed and ready when the Sangheili board our ship. We will hold them off enough to activate the distress beacon to Tarkin we were given and evacuate everyone we can on LAATs to the…whatever that is." Windu adds.

The Admiral only nods, just realizing that both Jedi are right. A single Republic Acclamator, which is not as heavily armed as their Venator cousins, stands no chance against a hardened UNSC and Sangheili battle fleet. Ozzel then runs to the communications device and broadcasts the order all across the ship while below their feet, the Acclamator shakes from the force of the lazer guns firing on the Sangheili ships. But their deflector shields are vastly superior to the Republic's, absorbing every shot like it's nothing.

After a few tense seconds, the UNSC ships stop firing, except for one. The front of that ship starts glowing white. "Oh no. Take evasive action and brace for impact!" Kenobi says, knowing what is about to happen.

Once the ship is charged, the MAC cannon is fired on the Acclamator. But the shot was obviously not charged to full power since the ship held together, but the ship's shields were destroyed. Taking advantage of the stunned moment, a single Sangheili CAS-class carrier flies towards the Acclamator.

"Generals! I'm receiving word that the Sangheili are already cutting into the ship. The soldiers need your help!" Ozzel exclaims, a look of fear crossing his face.

"Aid them, we will. Begin the evacuation to the ring, we must. Lead the 1st wave, I will." Yoda said.

"Well then. Looks like I'll be helping the defense." Kenobi answers.

"Indeed. Anakin, Ahsoka, aid Master Kenobi in his fight. I will help Master Yoda in defending the docking bays so the LAATs and fighters can escape." Windu adds.

"Yes, Master. Let's show them how we can fight." Ahsoka says confidently.

With that, the Jedi leave the bridge to participate in their various roles of the battle. When the 3 Jedi arrive at the chamber where the side weapons are kept, everything is already in chaos. Clones are trying to fire at the army of UNSC marines, completely decked out in their dark green armor, dark red armored Sangheili. The Sangheili, however, are wielding the same energy blades that the legendary Master Chief used, cutting clones down like a lumberjack would cut down trees and the marines are firing their rifles or shotguns with deadly accuracy.

"Hey guys! Those damn Jedi are here!" a marine shouts. Their attention turns to the newcomers. The Sangheili roar in challenge and charge at the Jedi, only for Anakin to activate his lightsaber and parry a Sangheili slashing at him and cut the alien down.

That only serves to anger the enemy soldiers even further, evident by how they are fighting back more ferocity than before. However, while the Jedi couldn't directly use the Force on them due to their immunity, it still gives them the edge they need. Obi-Wan parries the Sangheili sword strikes, Ahsoka uses her speed to barely deflect the UNSC bullets back at them, wounding the marines and saving any last wounded clones while Anakin jumps into their ranks, cutting them down like no one's business. Even if Anakin's reluctant to kill them, he also knows that if they are spared, they will just kill more soldiers of the Republic.

Within minutes, the skirmish is over and the soldiers lie on the ground, dead or dying. The blood of UNSC, Sangheili and clone soldiers are quickly spreading across the ground. "You inbred sons of bitches will lose." A voice said. All 3 Jedi turn to a speaker, who is a marine in full battle armor, holding his chestplate where blood is seeping out. "I've seen your type before, and bastards like you always lose. You will never reach Halo. My people will see to that." He laughs weakly, coughing up a little blood before his head falls back onto the floor.

"Let me check, Generals." A surviving clone soldier said, walking up to the marine and places 2 fingers at his neck. "He's dead."

They all look at the giant ring, now known to them as Halo. "Whatever this Halo this, it must be important if they are going through this much trouble to make sure we don't land there." Obi-Wan murmurs. The Force is whispering to him, telling him that it is much more dangerous than they already know.

"Well then. Let's get out of here and figure out what exactly is going on." Anakin says, deactivating his lightsaber.

"This way, Master." Ahsoka responds, looking down a long hallway. Even though none of them could see the battle, the sounds of battle in the docking bay can be heard by all. The enemy soldiers had obviously come down this way, judging by the scorch marks produced by blaster shots and the bodies of clones littering the ground. All 3 Jedi and the last 3 clones march down the battle-torn hallways, past the hastily made barricades, and make it to the docking bay.

There, the rest of the Jedi, the Admiral and the remaining clones are boarding the LAATs and fighters, fighting off the surging UNSC and Sangheili troops, firing their strange weapons at the Republicans. Above their heads, the docking bay doors are opening. As one, the Jedi leap over their ranks, deflecting the shots as the last 3 clones run as fast as they can through, firing their blasters behind them as a distraction.

"Good to see you alive. Pilot, get us out of here." Windu commands as the 3 Jedi jump onboard the LAAT, and the last of the clones doing the same and slamming the blast shields closed.

"Yes sir." The pilot said, firing the ship up and flying it out. As one, the ships soar out of the Acclamator and make their way down to Halo. But they aren't in the clear yet. The secondary weapons on the UNSC ships start firing, destroying numerous fighters or destroying the wings of a few LAATs, causing them to spin out of control.

Nothing could stop the Republic as they fly down towards the planet, the ships going in separate directions. But then the problem starts. A UNSC Longsword ship flies up from the forest on the ground and fires on the LAAT. Most of the shots miss, but one hits its mark.

"Generals! Those shots severely damaged our right wing. Our ship's starting to burn up and we're going in too hot." The pilot shouts up to them.

Obi-Wan lets out a sigh, having been through this during the Chorusan Massacre. "Everyone, brace for impact!" He then grasps the handlebar next to him.

Seconds later, the burning LAAT gets closer and closer to the ground before smashing into it.

And for all those inside the gunship, the world goes black.

* * *

 _AN:_ Hello everyone!

I'm sorry for skipping last week, but I have no regrets since I was so busy. So to compensate, I'm going to give this chapter to you a day early.

Yes, the Republic accidentally stumbled on a Halo ring and it's majorly important for the upcoming parts of the story.

Next time, a new yet familiar (to all Halo fans) enemy will appear.

See you then!


	14. Chapter 14: Halo 07 - Part 2

**May 14** **th**

 **2583/20 BBY**

 **5:13 pm UNSC time**

 **LAAT Crashsite  
**

 **Halo Installation 07**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

No one knows for sure exactly how long they had been unconscious after the crash.

Obi-Wan Kenobi gasps as his eyes shoot open and starts taking in his surroundings. The clones are laying all across the ground, out cold. Not even his former padawan, Anakin, or his padawan Ahsoka are conscious after the impact…the impact!

Remembering the hopeless battle that had just occurred, Kenobi sits up quickly. Wincing in pain from the large bruises no doubt forming under his armor from the impact, the Jedi stands up and starts shaking Anakin's shoulder. His partner groans faintly before also sitting up. "Come on. We need to get out of here before the UNSC or Sangheili come after us." Obi-Wan is a little surprised by how hoarse his voice is.

That jolts Anakin out of his state and he also stands up and together, start waking up the occupants of the ship. Sadly, the LAAT's pilots were killed in the crash, being closest to the ground than any of the others. After all the clones and Ahsoka wake up and ordered to keep quiet, they make their way to the blast door on their right. Quickly using the Force, Anakin forces the door to swing open all the way.

"Ah!" Ahsoka exclaims, shielding her eyes from the sudden light blinding them temporarily. When the moment passes, they all take in the scenery before them. They are on the edge of a vast forest, an ocean stretching out as far as the eye can see. But in the distance, they can see Halo soaring higher and higher into the sky.

"This place…it feels so natural." Anakin said, feeling the grass under their feet with his fingers. "It could rival even Naboo. How is any of this possible?"

Obi-Wan, too, is questioning how any of this is real. The natural life and beauty of this place, as Anakin said, could easily rival Naboo or even Alderann. But before he could formulate a guess on what's going on or what it took to make this a reality, he hears the faint engines of many ships that are steadily getting louder.

"Everyone! Run to the water. We'll have decent cover." Kenobi quickly shouts, running to the beach. Anakin, Ahsoka and the clones also hear the faint engines of oncoming ships and agree to make a run for the beach. Mere seconds after the last clone jumps into the water but stay on the surface to watch, 5 dark green Hornet fighters fly over the forest, each one carrying 2 black-armored soldiers. The Hornets touch down on the ground and all of the black-armored soldiers jump off, running to the smoldering gunship. The fire was long gone, but the LAAT is still blackened in certain spots and a trail of blackened dirt can be seen with smoke still rising from the surface. Most of the newcomers start walking around while 2 of them, one male while the other is female, run inside the gunship.

After about a minute, the 2 ODSTs run out towards another one, with bulkier armor and sand-colored stripes all over. "Lieutenant Gutiérrez! We found the bodies of 2 clones, pilots by the looks of their armor. No one else was aboard." The male ODST said, saluting the one who is obviously their superior.

"Strange. There are always more soldiers on board those ships, unless…" The Lieutenant said thoughtfully, before his head snaps back up. "Sergeant Perry, gather the rest of the ODSTs; we're leaving. There's no way whoever was in this ship is still around. And God damn it, their systems are definitely too fried for me to hack anything and figure out how they learned of Halo."

"Yes sir!" Perry, of the group now known to the Republic as ODSTs, responds with a salute at the end. With a sharp whistle from the Sergeant, all 10 soldiers return to the Hornets. Instantly, the engines start whirring to life and the ships fly into the air, leaving the crash site.

Feeling that it's safe to come out, Anakin stands up and walks to the beach. Behind him, the rest of his fellow Jedi and the clones also stand up. "Well, they really don't like us being here." A clone remarks.

"No, they don't. All right, men. We have no reason to stick around here. Regrouping with the others, learning more about where we are before our rescue comes has become our priority." Kenobi answers, staring in the direction where the Hornets went.

"Yes, General. Do you have any ideas on where we can find any other survivors?" The only clone sergeant in their group asks, looking around warily as if a UNSC soldier would jump out and ambush them.

"I know. I can clearly sense them and their location." Ahsoka says, her eyes closed and left hand outstretched.

"How can you tell that, Snips?" Anakin asks, also sensing them but curious about how Ahsoka knows.

"They are not hard to find at all, Master. They are the only ones on this world that have midichlorians." She responds.

"Then lead the way." Obi-Wan answers, bowing a little and stepping back. Smiling a little, Ahsoka starts making a dash down the beach. Not wanting to be left behind and risk being attacked by anyone else, the rest of their small party follows suite.

They traverse off the beach and up the forested hill to the top, where on the edge of the tall cliff that overlooks the ocean is a tall metal tower stretches high into the sky with a box-shaped base. None of them have seen technology like this before, and are starting to question if the UNSC even built this place since their technology looks nothing like this. At the base of the tower, 4 LAATs are parked and clone soldiers are patrolling around it. Easily the most notable members of their group are Commander Cody, the ARC trooper known as Fives, Mace Windu and Yoda. Cody looks up from what he's doing and notices the incoming group.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" He asks, drawing attention to them.

"It's good to see you, too, Cody. Master Yoda, do you know if any others survived?" Kenobi asks the elder Grandmaster.

"Indeed, I do. Half of our crew, survived they have. The Admiral and the rest of our men, not far from here, they are."

"Don't worry, Master Kenobi. We have already rescued all the soldiers still alive and formulating a plan on…" Windu starts, but is interrupted by a clone soldier running to them.

"Generals! We are receiving a transmission from a closed Republic channel."

"Put it through." Anakin says quickly. The clone nods and returns to the hastily made communication device. The holo activates and a projection of Admiral Ozzel appears.

"Generals. Thank the Force you're alright." Ozzel exclaims, the sounds of gun and blaster shots going off on his end.

"We're fine, Admiral. What is your location?" Windu asks.

"I don't know, General Windu. Me and my men are being gunned down by UNSC and Sangheili forces that are heavily concentrated outside a temple of sorts. We're going to open those doors and figure out what they are trying to hide from us." Ozzel responds quickly, ducking under a gunshot that just barely misses his head. "Sorry, but I must get back to the fight. May the Force be with you, generals."

After the transmission cuts off, a moment of silence passes. After that moment, Cody speaks up. "Does anyone hear that?"

Anakin is about to ask what he's talking about, but then he also hears it: The sound of something heavy thumping. Each second that passes, the sounds get louder and louder. "Everyone. Take cover!" a clone at the top of the tower acting as lookout shouts down.

A warning from the Force shoots through the heads of Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, Windu and Yoda; they jump to the side and barely miss a giant beam of green light striking the ground. The strength of the impact sends all nearby clones sprawling and the Jedi lose balance for a second before regaining it. They all look up and see the last thing they wanted to see today.

From out of the tree cover emerges an enormous purple tank, shaped like a giant bug. Kenobi recognizes it from when he did research on the Human-Covenant War that happened decades ago, when the tank was used. It is called a Scarab tank and in the best situation, it would most likely take 10 AT-TEs and probably a Jedi to destroy a single Scarab. But to find a weakness, spreading the attacks out is essential to all of their survival.

Yoda seems to have read Obi-Wan's mind, as he nods in understanding when their eyes meet. "Commander, get the LAATs flying. Distract the guns on that ship, you must." He orders to Commander Cody when they are in ear shot.

"Yes General." Cody says while nodding his head at the same time. He then starts rallying the clone pilots to start up the gunships again while the Jedi use their activated lightsabers to deflect the shots of marines and Sangheili on the sides of the Scarab firing at them. One particular marine with deep red hair barely sticking out under his helmet is firing his sniper rifle with deadly accuracy, each shot striking a clone and killing them.

As the Scarab's face starts glowing green again, the gunships' engines start powering up and fly into the air. The head rears up and let's loose its shot. Fortunately, they are slow and it only just misses the gunship as it evades. Before any of them can gain relief, however, the turret on the top of the tank starts firing upwards as well.

"Come on, Anakin." Obi-Wan says, deflecting another shot before the duo start running at the Scarab. The enemy soldiers continue firing at them before the 2 Jedi make it under the Scarab.

"There's got to be a control center or something we can destroy that can take this thing down." Anakin says, looking up and searching for anything that can help.

"You're right, Anakin. Let's jump to the top of this tank on 3. One!" Obi-Wan responds, lifting up 3 fingers but dropping 1. Then he drops the other. When the last finger clenches into the fist, the Jedi use the Force to jump high into the air. Curling into balls at the end for aerodynamic purposes, they land on the back of the Scarab. Quickly, they notice an alcove in front of them and they hide there. Before them is a giant engine of sorts with a deflector shield over it.

"Well, this must be what we're looking for." Anakin says, re-activating his lightsaber. Obi-Wan does the same and together, they stab the shield. It's extremely tough, but against 2 unrelenting lightsabers, it never stood a chance. The lightsabers pierce the shield and start melting the engine. Suddenly, alarms start blaring and the lights that once glowed light blue are now glowing red. "Now's a good time to get out of here!" Anakin shouts. He and his former master run out of the alcove and take a leap of faith off the tank.

The tank starts sinking to the ground, explosions going off all over its surface as the occupants jump off to avoid being killed. Seconds later, the entire tank explodes in a flash of blue light and crumpling to the ground all the way. "I swear, you're going to get us both killed one day." Obi-Wan mutters as he looks up. While they were off the field, the Scarab's turret got a lucky shot and destroyed an LAAT, evidenced by the burning gunship in question on the ground.

The soldiers from the tank stand up, pointing their guns at the Republic troops. "You're going down." A tall Sangheili said angrily, pointing a UNSC-made shotgun at them.

Before the standoff could be broken, a communicator strapped to a marine's side flares to life and a voice comes out the other end, crackling a little from static. "All troops, Code Flood initiated! Repeat, Code Flood initiated."

None of the members of the Republic had a clue on what that meant, as they look at each other with looks of abject terror. "Oh shit, of course. These assholes were distracting us while their allies concentrated on their real goal. All troops, fall back to the incoming ships now! We're getting the fuck out of here." The red-haired man said, pointing his hand back. To the shock of the Republicans, each and every Sangheili and marine follow the order, scrambling over themselves to run faster than they had ever seen them run before towards the beach where several Pelicans and Phantoms are flying towards to pick them up. The man looks back at them one last time, a look of utter resentment on his face. "I hope you're happy with what you've done today." Before he joins his troops in the sudden escape.

"What just happened?" Ahsoka asks with confusion in her voice and face.

The Jedi are just as uneasy about the situation as her, looking around for anything strange. "Wait. Something's coming." A clone states, getting into a kneeling position and pointing his blaster rifle towards the forest. That gesture caught their attention as they also turn to look in the direction of the clone's alarm. The trees start rustling side to side like numerous people are pushing against them in different directions and unearthly screeches can be heard, coupled with the sounds of stomping feet are only becoming louder and louder.

"Generals?" Another clone asks hesitantly, pointing his blaster in the direction of the sounds.

"Stand your ground, soldiers." Windu orders, activating his lightsaber once again and getting into a defensive posture. The screeches continue to increase in volume until they suddenly cease. The Republicans look at each other, even more confused than before. Instantly, the trees burst aside as an army of the strangest creatures any of them have ever seen charge forward.

Judging by their appearance, they were once UNSC marines, Sangheili and clones; but something was wrong with them. Their heads are pulled back at an unnatural angle with a look of complete horror on their faces and some kind of fungus is growing all around their bodies. The most noticeable fungi parts are the 3 tentacles with red tips waving around sticking out of the chest and 3 sharp-looking protrusions making up their left arm. At the front of the army are the smallest and perhaps ugliest creatures of them all. They can't be more than 3 feet tall, with heads shaped like squid's heads and the same tentacles with red growths on the bottom acting as legs.

The taller creatures have enough intelligence to know how to use weapons as they start firing blaster shots, Magnum and assault rifle bullets. The clones start backing up in fear as they return fire at the new enemies. While the shots are good and kill them with each shot, the body falls over only for even more to crawl over their fallen comrade's corpse in their eagerness to fight.

The 1st enemy reaches the nearest clone, swiping its tentacle arm at the clone. The poor soldier's armor is torn apart and blood starts spewing out before he falls forward and lands on the ground, dead. From out of the oncoming army, one of the little creatures makes its way towards the body and leaps onto the body's chest. What happens next will haunt their dreams for months to come.

The body starts squirming as the creature burrows into the chest. Mold starts sprouting up all over the body, with the 3 tentacles growing and encasing the left arm. The corpse then stands up, facing them and also joining in the fight.

"I can't believe any of this is happening. How did we not know they were creating beasts like these?" Anakin asks Obi-Wan as Anakin uses his lightsaber to cut down an infected soldier that was a Sangheili. Windu is about to run to the parked gunships to try and save the clones from the unknown enemy that just entered, but the 2 LAATs explode seconds later, knocking Windu to the ground and sending shrapnel flying in all directions.

"I don't think they were trying to make them, Anakin. I think they were trying to keep them sealed away, only for the Admiral to let them out."

The battle starts evening out, with the clones backing up to the tower to stay out of the reach of those tentacle arms and firing any of the bulbous creatures that start getting too close. From out of the crowd, another one of the monsters leap into the air. This one was wearing a uniform that Republic officials wore. With a jolt, the Jedi realize that it was Admiral Ozzel!

"Ahsoka!" Anakin shouts in fear, realizing that the infected Admiral is about to slash open the stomach of his padawan. But before it can get the chance, Yoda leaps into the air, cutting the beast in half with his green lightsaber while spinning in the air. When the aged Jedi lands on his feet, the rest of the strange army run at him.

That's when the 2nd shock of the day comes. As the infected soldiers start getting close to Yoda, a thin beam of yellow energy shoots through the air, effectively cutting an infected in half. They all turn around to look at who just joined, along with the rest of the survivors. It is a relatively small machine floating in the air, 2 appendages on either side of the head and a point where the beam of energy came from. With a roar of rage, the infected lose interest in the surviving Jedi, Cody, and Fives and start firing at the strange machine. Then 5 more of them fly towards the tower to join their comrade and start shooting the beams again. The infected are being killed off much quicker than before, despite their attempts to fight back. One gets lucky and gets in a shot at one of the floating machine, disabling its overshields and destroying it.

But within a minute, every infected soldier is lying on the ground, nothing more than piles of charred, smelly flesh. The surviving Republicans stare up at the machines they assume to be extremely advanced droids. "For saving us, thank you. Owe you our gratitude, we do." Yoda says, deactivating his lightsaber and clipping it onto his belt.

"It is the Sentinel's duty. To keep the Flood contained here on the orders of my creators." A new voice says, startling them for perhaps the 5th time that day. A new droid flies to them and hovers before their faces, looking at each one of them intently. It is shaped like a giant metal ball with a glowing blue eye in the center. "Funny. I don't recognize the species of some of your companions, but I know that you have Reclaimers among you." The strange droid adds.

Anakin has never been more confused in his life than what's going on. "Why are you calling us Reclaimers? Are you working for the UNSC?" He asks, wanting some actual answers for a change.

"There's no time for that. The Flood has been released and even as we speak, they are beginning to spread across my Installation, wiping out all life they come across. We need to hurry." The device responds. Then a strange light surrounds each member of the group making their sight go white in seconds.

All the Jedi know at this moment is that the Force is reeling in pain about this 'Flood' being released.

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, Ozzel managed to release the Flood and payed for it with his and his men's lives.

Code Flood = The Flood has been released. All troops and ships will be evacuated from Halo immediately.

I thought the Flood overwhelming the Republic army, only to be saved by the Forerunners was an interesting idea. But if you want a real Flood battle, check out _The Coming Darkness_ by Usernamesarebad (I agree, a weird username). I really like the overall story, but the 1st chapters are a little slow.

Anyway, see you next time in the end of the Halo 07 arc, where some much-needed answers are finally given.

I will see you then.


	15. Chapter 15: Halo 07 - Part 3

**May 14** **th**

 **2583/20 BBY**

 **5:45 pm UNSC time**

 **Library of Halo Installation 07**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

Jedi and clone alike cover their eyes as the flash of light appears all around them, engulfing their sight completely.

But the flash does not last for more than a few seconds. Once the light dissipates, the Jedi and last 2 clones lower their hands that once covered their eyes and they start taking in their surroundings. They are in an enormous chamber that stretches out in all directions, but the only way to progress is through, between 2 large metallic boxes. "Where are we?" Ahsoka asks, awestruck by the shiny technology of this strange place.

"You are in the Library." A familiar voice says, and the strange, floating metal sphere that the Republicans met before floats to them. "Ah, but before we go on, I should introduce myself. I am 07-117649, I am the Monitor put in charge of this Installation under orders of my creators, the Forerunners. But we don't have much time; the Flood are spreading and the only way to stop them is to activate this Installation. Follow me." With that, Monitor flies between the metal boxes and progresses into this 'Library.' Not wanting to be left behind, the Jedi and clones start running along to keep up. The peace doesn't last, as 20 Infection forms crawl out of several crevices of the clean facility.

"There!" Fives shouts, pulling out his blaster rifle and letting loose several blaster shots to try and slow them down, Commander Cody following suite. But several Infection forms make it past the barrage of lazer fire, only for the Jedi to cut them in half with their lightsabers. Then 2 Carrier forms appear, wobbling towards them before falling to the ground. With a terror the Jedi had rarely felt before the UNSC and Sangheili joined the Clone Wars, the Carrier forms start expanding rapidly before they explode, creating a small shockwave and even more Infection forms emerge, flying in every direction before landing on the ground.

"You have got to be kidding me." Cody states, not amused by the action in the slightest, before he raises his blaster and starts firing again. The Jedi, however, stand back to back and slash at any Infection forms that cross their paths. Luckily, they end the Flood in seconds.

"Hmmm…Your weapons are most ineffective against the Flood. No matter; we must proceed." Monitor states as the enormous door before them starts sliding apart to reveal another room, giving off an eerie orange light.

"Wait a second." Kenobi states, drawing Monitor's attention. "Before we go on with this quest to 'activate' this place, I have a few questions: What are these things that are attacking us, and who are these 'Forerunners' who created you?"

Monitor considers these words for a few seconds. "Of course. However, your mission must come first. Follow me, and see why I have brought you here." The AI then flies onward to the light. Not wanting to be left behind, the Jedi and clones start running again to keep up. When they reach the chamber, however, they freeze and look around with absolute awe on their faces, even though the clone's faces are shielded by their helmets. Before them is a vast circular chamber with long platforms running around the circle, suspended over a deep pit. The center is giving off the golden light, where a strange device is floating inside of a force field. It is shaped like a T, the center glowing neon green. "That is what we are here for. It's the Index; it holds the codes needed to activate Halo. We must deactivate the barrier first."

"No need, Monitor." Windu states, still staring at the Index with a look of curiosity and dread. The Force is screaming at the powerful Jedi, telling him that it is more dangerous than anything he's ever encountered before. "Most of my comrades and myself have a special power that will shorten our trip greatly. It's called the Force." With that, he raises his hand and concentrates on pulling the Index out of its sphere towards him. But to his shock, he actually feels the shield resisting the Force.

Sensing his struggle, Yoda joins in Windu and helps him; one by one, Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka do the same. Under their combined Force powers, the shield stood no chance as it shatters into thousands of shards and the Index flies into Windu's hands. He then hands it to Ahsoka for safe keeping. A stunned silence passes as Monitor stares at them. "How did you do that?" Monitor demands, hearing surprise in the droid's voice for the first time. It then looks at Windu and its eye glows yellow. Before anyone can demand what Monitor's doing, a beam of yellow energy shoots out and passes through Windu. He winces in pain, as the Force goes crazy around him, disturbed by the Forerunner technology at work. The scan goes on for several seconds before it goes away. "Strange. There is a strange substance all over your body that give you access to these powers. It seems…familiar. No matter, we must make our way to the top of the Library. The Activation Chamber is at the top." Without another word, Monitor starts flying over the chasm and towards an exit none of the Jedi noticed before, such was their awe of the Forerunner facility.

"This wait for answers is getting tiring." Ahsoka mutters under her breath as they proceed. While Obi-Wan would normally chastise her for impatience, he too would like to get some long-overdue answers. Using their strength, each one of them leap from platform to platform until they reach the other entrance. Through the entrance is another winding corridor, but this one has a passage that's blocked by another tall door.

"Give me a second. Please wait." With that, Monitor starts operating the holograms that just appeared to start opening the door. Suddenly, loud unearthly moaning can be heard and dozens of combat forms start running at them, firing the weapons in their hands at the Jedi and clones with surprisingly low accuracy. Jumping high into the air, the Jedi activate their lightsabers and keeping in mind how the battle went several minutes ago, start slashing the Flood combat forms in half. As that is going on, numerous Infection forms also crawl out of the crevices, trying to attach themselves to the distracted Jedi. But Fives and Cody are already firing their own blasters every which way, not stopping to take satisfaction in the poofs of residue that were the Infection forms that are floating in the air.

After a minute of merciless fighting, they hear a strange clicking sound and the massive doors swing apart, revealing a circular chamber. Cautiously, the group walk onto the strange platform. Suddenly, it starts rising into the air. "This is a portal. There were more just like this one, but my creators had to destroy them after catastrophic damage to my Installation occurred." Monitor explains, then continues,

"Now that I have your attention, I can tell you all I know. These monsters that are attacking you are known as the Flood. They take on numerous forms and the most dangerous plague the galaxy has ever seen. Just one Flood spore, given time, could wipe out an entire species. But the story starts 100,000 years ago, when my creators still drew breath. They were a peaceful race, holding the Mantle of Responsibility as a sign of being the galaxies' dominant species. However, my creators had a rival species, with technology only my creators could match: Humanity. The Forerunners had discovered that there was a larger galaxy surrounding the one they knew, but were withdrawn from exploring it. For the humans had become aggressive, conquering numerous Forerunner systems quickly. Outraged at the assault they dared to unleash, humans and Forerunners fought for an entire millennium. My creators won the war and as a result, humanity was devolved and banished to a distant planet they called Earth, which was stripped of all their technology, just like the rest of their worlds. My creators thought they would finally have peace, but they would learn how wrong they were. For humanity didn't want war with my creators; they were running."

"The Flood, they were?" Yoda asks, for once looking deeply disturbed by the tale Monitor was telling them. All of them, even Windu, look absolutely shocked to hear such a war had happened so long ago and it gave them much insight into the battles fought long before recorded history. The technology the Forerunners had at their fingertips was so marevelous that even after they have existed for tens of thousands of years, the rest of the galaxy's technology isn't even close.

"Correct. The Flood had started invading Forerunner worlds, pulling my creators into a war they had no hope of winning. So to ultimately defeat the Flood, my creators began construction of a series of rings that would wipe out the Flood as a last resort. These rings were the 12 Halo Installations. This very Installation is one of the original set. Sadly, my creators were driven into extinction as the Halo rings activated. We have arrived."

Upon its statement, the 'portal' stops at the top. Before the group now is a long platform stretching out of several yards before it forms into a massive circle, a giant holographic projection coming to life and before it is a giant control panel. "There it is!" Ahsoka said, eager to get this long quest done. She unclips the T-shaped Index from her belt and starts approaching the devices.

But as she continues to approach, Monitor flies in front of her. "You can't enter the Index into the Activation Slot. Only a Reclaimer can do that and achieve the results you are hoping for." It adds, staring at the numerous humans in the group.

"I guess it's up to you, Skyguy." Ahsoka says as she tosses to her master the Index. He nods and also walks up to the cylinder-shaped device, a slot in the center for the Index to fit into.

"Here goes nothing." Anakin says and slips the Index into the slot, twisting the key.

The holographic projections glow brightly for a second…before they go out.

"What is going on?" Monitor demands, sounding confused beyond belief by what's happening. "This shouldn't be happening…unless…" It then turns around and its eye starts glowing a light orange this time, but instead of scanning Windu, it scans the entirety of their group. The results are catastrophic; the Jedi start wincing in pain from the backlash in the Force the scanning is causing, but the clones have it much worse. They have fallen to the ground, almost screaming in agony as if something is breaking inside their very heads. After another few seconds, Monitor stops scanning them. The droid's attitude is now different. Instead of urgent, it is furious. The eye that once glowed blue is now glowing red with anger. "Of course. Now I know what's going on. You're not Reclaimers; you must be some of the undiscovered species in the galaxy, not to mention there are more humans than my creators thought, for you don't have the tiny speck of Forerunner DNA that can be found in all Reclaimers. As for those micro-organisms, they are…"

But then something even stranger happens. The floating droid starts muttering to itself furiously before it screams in terror, "NO!" and the light goes out in its eye.

"This has got to be the most insane day of my entire life." Cody says. The Jedi are alarmed by how weak his voice is as the once-formidable clone commander struggles to get to his feet. Taking pity on the clone, Windu grips Cody's arm and pulls him to his feet, followed by Fives. "Something's…weird. Like something in my head was destroyed." He adds, touching his head tenderly.

"Worrisome, this place is. Figured out the meaning of 'last resort', I have. These rings, wipe out all life in the galaxy, they do." Yoda says, a deathly serious tone in his voice. None of the Jedi could believe what they heard. If what Master Yoda said is true, this very station could be the most dangerous weapon in the entire galaxy! But before they could figure out what to do next, the doors to the portal suddenly close behind them and Monitor's body re-activates. But this time, the blue in the eye is darker.

"None of you will leave this place alive." A whole new voice speaks. This one sounds oddly feminine and full of malice. "My Sentinels will kill you and study your corpses to learn more about how your mysterious powers operate. Destroy them, Sentinels! I will be waiting eagerly for your results." With that, the droid flies away high into the air and Forerunner's Sentinels start flying up from the chasm below to follow their new master's orders. The Jedi activate their lightsabers and try to block the Sentinel beams, but to their amazement, the beam is absorbed by the lightsaber blades instead of being deflected. Fives and Cody start running around, firing into the air while also making sure to dodge the Sentinel beams. They saw how effective they were against the Flood and because of that, they really don't want to be struck by those same beams. Slowly, Obi-Wan slowly backs up to the circular edge, deflecting Sentinel Beams when he looks over the side. Below all of them is a deep pit, which at first glance looks bottomless, but as he looks closer, he notices the outstretched platforms that make up the circular chamber where the Index was contained. A crazy, borderline suicidal idea worthy of Anakin Skywalker comes to Kenobi's mind.

"We need to get out of here! I have an idea." Kenobi says to Yoda. Deciding that time is of the essence in escaping this facility, Kenobi jumps off the side ignoring Anakin's shout of surprise. As he hoped, the Sentinels fly down into the pit below, trying to catch up with the falling Jedi. But Obi-Wan is ready; he grabs a Sentinel that gets too close so that he can break his descent. His fall slows considerably, enough for him to jump onto one of the almost rectangular platforms without breaking his legs. The second he lands, he throws his lightsaber into the air, stabbing it into the Sentinel's beam. Thanks to the force behind the throw, it penetrates the deflector shields and makes the Forerunner machine explode in bright blue flames. Using the actual Force this time, he pulls his lightsaber back into his hand before the lightsaber starts fusing with itself due to the explosion's heat.

He hears numerous shouts from above him. Involuntarily looking up into the air, he notices his fellow Jedi and the 2 clones falling through the air, flailing around like drunk birds. Obi-Wan takes action, lifting his hand and using the Force to slow the fall for the clones. He didn't do it for his fellow Jedi because they are already using the Force to slow their own descent.

After several tense moments, the rest of Kenobi's friends and companions land on their feet. "We need to leave this place now!" Windu barks. Not wanting to stick around and see if the Sentinels return, the Jedi and clones sprint down the open hallway they didn't travel through. As they run down the winding corridors, using only the Force to guide them, the Flood return for their rematch. Combat forms of clones and UNSC soldiers run at them, trying to fight them. But they don't last long, for the Jedi use their lightsabers and cut apart any Flood that stand in their way. Even Master Yoda is helping out as much as he can, but it isn't much since he's hanging onto the back of Master Windu so he can escape with them. As the group turn a corner, they notice an open doorway that leads to the outside world, but an entire swarm of Flood are running at them like Death coming to take his next victim.

"Ugh. How many of these things are there?" Ahsoka complains, lifting her lightsaber. Luckily for the Republicans, the Sentinels return but are primarily focused on killing the Flood, who are also trying to destroy the guards to the Flood's former prison.

"Let's get out of here before they both decide we're still here." Fives suggests, his voice coming back to him now. Deciding that's a good idea, the last of the Republic squad run out of the Library, coming to a long metal bridge with a glass bottom that stretches to a tall metal tower, suspended about 200 feet over a vast forest that stretches out for miles. In the distance, the smooth ocean is gleaming in the sunlight, a smoking Pelican on the beach. They make it to the center of the bridge before freezing. For out of the tower is coming yet another swarm of Flood Combat forms, eager to tear into their flesh.

"Oh, you've got to be kriffing kidding me!" Cody exclaims, then turns around, only to see the Flood swarm they ran past destroying the last Sentinel and also running out to meet the Jedi and clone soldiers.

"Well, it was an honor to serve with you, Master." Anakin says to Obi-Wan. The latter smiles in response as they lift their weapons, ready to go down swinging.

Cody and Fives fire in opposite directions, hoping to thin the Flood numbers. But they are too numerous, some literally stepping over the corpses of their fallen comrades in their eagerness to kill. As they get closer and closer, a large green blaster shot. To their left, an LAAT gunship starts flying down to where its parallel with the gunship. The gunners continue doing their best to keep the Flood at bay while the blast door slides open and clones in shiny, new armor appear, firing their blaster rifles at any combat forms that get too close.

"Come on! We got to get out of here." A clone on the LAAT shouts over the noise. Taking advantage of the enemy being held at bay, Yoda jumps onboard, followed by Ahsoka, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Windu, Fives and Cody. After the clone commander takes a step backward onto the LAAT, the gunship pulls away from the bridge. One combat form gets cocky and leaps into the air, soaring high into the sky for several seconds before landing in the still-open gunship. Quickly, Anakin slashes the stomach of the combat form that was once a clone soldier. The Flood staggers back before falling off the ship and down into the forest.

"What was that thing?" Another clone demands as he slides the blast door closed, allowing the LAAT to soar back into space. Luckily, the UNSC and Sangheili had evacuated a long time ago, so the lone Republic Acclamator stands out. The docking bay doors open up and the LAAT touches down in the bay. Soon, the doors close and the Acclamator takes off, entering hyperspace.

The LAAT opens up and all of their occupants step out, to be greeted by a squad of clones. "Generals, Admiral Tarkin would like a word with you all. Follow us." A clone sergeant standing in front of them says. Deciding they need to talk with someone about what they have discovered, the 7 Jedi follow the clones through the ship and up to the bridge, where the always-stoic Admiral Tarkin stands.

"Generals, good to see you in 1 piece." Tarkin says, hands behind his back as he looks at each and every Jedi with a calculating look. All the Jedi aren't the biggest fans of Tarkin, so to say; the Admiral's always stoic, cold and calculating. "Now, I just want a full report on what happened down there on that…world, down there. I've been hearing stories of strange monsters that have been possessing clones."

"I'm sorry, Admiral, but that report is for the Supreme Chancellor, who personally sent us on the mission." Windu responds, also acting stoic.

Tarkin and Windu stare each other down, before Tarkin breaks the glaring contest and sighs. "Fine. Then you can tell the Chancellor all that you want." He says coldly then leaves the bridge.

The Jedi turn their heads away from Tarkin and stare out the bridge and into hyperspace. Despite everything they have all been through already, they can't help but feel that as of this moment, the Clone Wars have only just begun.

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, that ends the Halo 07 arc. I promise you, the Halo ring will return in the distant future. Yes, the Forerunners knew about midichlorians, but more on that much later as well.

As for the female possessing Monitor, can anyone take a guess as to who she is?

Anyway, see you next time when a new faction joins the Bitter Wars and the aftermath of the Flood's release.


	16. Chapter 16: Rise of the Insurrection

**May 16th**

 **2583**

 **7:00 am UNSC time**

 **Memorial Hill***

 **Earth**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

Word had spread like wildfire around the United Nations colonies and the Swords of Sanghelios planets about the Flood returning to the galaxy, escaping from Halo 07.

The citizens are going crazy and the 2-government's military's morale are flocculating, all of them calling for the destruction of the Republic for their actions.

However, all of that is nothing compared to the harshest change of them all. The UNSC's leader, Lord Terrence Hood himself, was at the Halo Installation so he could personally order the space ring to be destroyed via nuclear bombing to keep it out of enemy hands. He, along with over 3 dozen UNSC marines and 20 Sangheili soldiers, never escaped the Installation when the evacuation order was given.

Now, 2 dozen soldiers, a dozen Sangheili on the left and a dozen marines on the right, stand at attention as the Senators lay out possessions that once belonged to Terrence, such as pictures of the UNSC leader and his 1st handgun when the joined the military. "May we always remember Lord Terrence Hood and all those for their sacrifice. May we never forget their courage, their will to fight the battles needed to ensure that we shall live in peace. Rest in peace, Fleet Admiral." President Peterson says, bowing her head lightly in respect to the pictures of all those who lost their lives in the Human-Covenant War. Then she turns around to look at the crowd before her. "For his sacrifice, we will never give up. We will not stop fighting until we have destroyed the Jedi Knights who think they can defeat us."

"Present, hut!" A UNSC sergeant shouts. As one, the UNSC and Sangheili troops raise their weapons and point them in the air. Three gunshots go off before the troops lower their weapons.

"Now, we shall rebuild what was been lost. Admiral Hood, please step forward." A man in his mid-30s with pale skin, thinning black hair and hardened blue eyes, walks up to the Madam President. The 2 officials salute each other for a second. "Hold up your hand." He immediately does so and listens as she continues. "Do you, Admiral Lawrence Hood, grandson of the late Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood, pledge to lead the UNSC in honor of your grandfather?"

"I will." He responds in a deep, tight voice.

"Do you promise to never be swayed by the words of others, to lead the armies of Sangheili and human alike into battle against all odds? Do you pledge yourself to the people and ensure Earth, Sanghelios, and all of their colonies will be safe?"

"I swear."

"Then as of this moment, you are now Fleet Admiral Lawrence Hood. I shall also award you the posthumous metal. Your grandfather was a good man." She adds, opening a velvet case to reveal the specific metals.

"Thank you, Madame President. I promise not let you down." Lawrence says, but before much else can happen, a marine in full battle armor runs up the hill, past his fellow marines. Judging by how hard he's breathing, he has been running for a while.

"Madame President, Admiral. We have received a transmission from the ONI." He says after he has caught his breath.

"Not now. Can't it wait until later?" Peterson asks stoically, but holding a hint of warning in her voice.

"No, Madame. It's about the Insurrection in general. They are on the move." He says quickly.

All of the angry looks at the marine turn to shock then frustration from the UNSC soldiers. All of them have had experience with fighting the occasional Insurrection attack, but all-out war with the Insurrectionists again is the last thing any of them want to hear, especially when they are all at war with 2 more governments and their armies. "What was attacked?" Lawrence asks, looking at the man intently.

"Halo. I'm sorry, sir, but we can't bomb the ring as Lord Hood wanted. The Insurrection has claimed air dominance over the ring and are already making to leave UNSC space." The marine says quickly, not wanting to hold it in much longer.

Lawrence then looks towards the orange sky, as the sun is rising. "What game are you playing at?" He murmurs, asking more to himself than anything.

* * *

 **May 20** **th**

 **10:23 am UNSC time**

 **Banks of the East River**

 **Bakura**

* * *

Jedi Master Tiplee hisses in frustration as blaster shots go off around her.

She had been sent to the distant and neutral world of Bakura to cooperate with the local government and hopefully establish a new Republic-friendly base there so they could have another vantage point from which they can bring the war to the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios.

That was before the 7 CIS Providence-class warships arrived to conquer Bakura and also use it as a base. So, after assuring the Bakuran government that the CIS will be removed from the planet, she leaves the city with a clone army of 200 men to fight the ground battle with the deployed battle droids while her twin sister, Tiplar, and Clone Commander Doom return to their Acclamator starship, which is escorted by 4 Venator stardestroyers, so they can lead the space battle.

The battle on the ground…is at a stalemate. The battle droids managed to make it to the East River, but the clones manage to stop them in their place, keeping them on the forested side of the East River. Everything is at a stalemate until Tiplee senses a very familiar Force signature. Sure enough, the B-2 battle droids stop firing, raise their blaster hands, and step aside, allowing Count Dooku himself to walk to the front of the battlefield. "Ah, Master Tiplee, it's been a long time."

"Dooku. I should have known you were going to lead this battle. Surrender or I will have to kill you and destroy your troops." Tiplee says angrily. After years of clones and Jedi losing their lives to the CIS, with the UEG and Swords of Sanghelios just joining, she is ready to be done with war.

The clones around her glance up, surprise radiating from the Force. Dooku, however, smirks. "So you want to kill me so the war can end. The Jedi are starting to learn what needs to be done. But I will not be the one who dies today. All troops, forward." With that order, the battle droids resume firing on the clones who were using the natural trenches as cover. The clones return fire, but as the 2 armies clash, Count Dooku leaps high into the air and lands in the middle of the clone ranks. Luckily, Tiplee runs to the ex-Jedi, clashing her blue light lightsaber against Dooku's red before he could decimate the clone ranks. Then the 2 Force-users clash, fighting behind the clone lines as the clones are slowly being pushed back by the onslaught of battle droids. Tiplee fights with everything she has, but she is far less experienced in combat than Dooku is, eventually forcing her to take a defensive stance.

The battle rages on until a massive explosion goes off. The Force screams in pain, enough for both Tiplee and Dooku to look up to the sky. What they see is truly shocking. A Providence-class starship explodes and starts falling to the planet. But the shocking part is that one of the Venators stops firing and starts turning towards the Acclamator. Then, in a burst of speed, the Venator charges towards the Republic capitol ship and smashes into it. The Acclamator splits in half and the Force screams in pain once again. Thanks to Tiplee's strong connection to the Force, she can sense all those who died in the backstabbing.

"Sister!" She screams to the sky, sensing her life go out when she, along with Commander Doom, are pulled into the unforgiving emptiness of space. The Acclamator then explodes, causing the traitorous Venator to also explode.

"What in the Force?" Dooku murmurs, staring at the ships. He had never seen this happen nor did he send battle droids to infiltrate the Venator and destroy it. Something else is going on.

Even the battle droids and clones stop fighting and look to the sky to see what the explosions were. After a few seconds, a small grey escape pod with red stripes on it and 4 thruster engines can be seen rocketing towards the battle field. Tiplee tries to sense whatever is inside, but she can feel nothing. "No…" She murmurs, fear crawling into her voice as she suspects who is in the pod. Soon, the escape pod crashes into the ground on the East Bank, the side where the clone forces are. For once, the clones and droids stop fighting each other and point their weapons at the pod, expecting anything. Even Tiplee and Dooku stop fighting to see who or what is inside.

Suddenly, the escape pod doors smash off their hinges, flying towards he clones and knocking a few them off their feet. Two women in heavy, black armor walk out with helmets covering their faces. A cherry red stripe makes its way down the center of the armor and their facemasks have completely different paint jobs on them. The woman's mask is a series of crescent moons making a laughing look while her partner has the shapes making a sad face. On both of their broad, rectangular-shaped shoulder plates are the symbol of a fist surrounded by a circle, both of which are dark red. Together, they lift the massive missile pods in their hands and pull the triggers. The missiles launched from the pods strike the clones, making their mangled, bloody remains fly into the air and land on the ground, the blood spreading on the ground. The clones start firing on the 2 women, but their armor is so thick that it just absorbs the blaster shots with no problem. Dooku leaps out of the blast radius and lands in front of his droid ranks.

He can't help but raise an eyebrow when he realizes that they are just targeting the Republican's armies, not the battle droids. "Stand down. Let's see who's side they are on." Dooku orders to his droids as they prepare to fire.

"Roger, roger." A battle droid with a yellow stripe on it responds and lowers its blaster, along with every other fighter for the CIS. As that battle goes on, they hear a loud engine. Dooku looks to the sky to see a whole barrage of UNSC-modeled Pelicans, with the same dark red fist in a circle, flying away from the battle, towards any major cities. The leader of the CIS is starting to suspect that they are part of some other faction. In the distance, a massive explosion goes off as a single Paris-class light frigate hovers over the city, reigning down explosions. As if that isn't enough, the sounds of an approaching Warthog make itself known and a whole mess of clones run towards them, firing behind them at the transport Warthog and missing.

"General!" A clone shouts, "We need to atop these people. They are trying to take the…gah!" The clone never finishes his sentence because his head gets blown off by a sniper rifle shot from one of the soldiers in the Warthog, covering Tiplee in the clone's blood. Her face changes from shock to anger at how her soldiers are being mercilessly cut down and she lifts her lightsaber in front of her, planning on cutting into the Warthog and dismantling it so she can get the opening she needs to kill these strange attackers in completely black armor that are styled similarly to the ODST soldiers Kenobi and the rest of the Jedi who made it off the Halo Installation described.

As the Warthog approaches, however, the male soldier riding shotgun has different ideas. He lowers a slender, prosthetic arm with a shotgun in his hand, and fires. Tiplee is so distracted by trying to use the Force to block the shotgun blasts that she fails to notice a stray missile strike at the Jedi's feet, sending her flying into the air for 3 seconds before crashing to the ground, in the middle of the field covered in the blood of the fallen clones. The Warthog stops in its tracks just as the 2 missile-launching psychopaths stop firing. "Nice shooting." The male says in a deep voice.

The 2 just nod as a Pelican flies into view, the grass and trees rippling against the wind being produced by the ship's engines and touches down on the ground in front of Dooku. The hatch opens up and 4 more black-armored soldiers run out, looking around for any stragglers with assault rifles in their hands, before a 5th man walks out. Unlike the other soldiers, this man isn't wearing any armor and his red robes make him look like an important official. He has fair skin, with sharp blue eyes and brown hair that stretches into a beard, almost like Obi-Wan Kenobi's does. "Area is clear, sir." One of the soldiers says. The man nods, but then they all hear stirring.

Tiplee is trying to get up, but her legs are mangled and she falls back down. "Let this mark the day your precious Republic falls. All those who stand with them, including the UNSC, will perish." The man says with a cold voice, then raises a pistol hidden in his robes and fires. The red-skinned Jedi is in too much pain and disconnected from the Force to block the bullet, which punches through her brain.

Jedi Master Tiplee is dead before her head hits the ground, her blood mixing with that of the fallen clones'.

The man then looks at Dooku, who is staring back intently. "Impressive, for a non-Force sensitive. Who are you?" He asks.

The man bows in respect. "Of course, Count Dooku. I should have introduced myself. My name is Daniel Clayton, and I am a Colonel for the Insurrection. We, like your group, want to be separate from the UNSC's oppressive control. My commanding officer is also here and we would like to strike an alliance with the CIS."

Dooku looks at the man, Clayton, and deduces that he is telling the truth. "What can you do to make me think that you truly are on our side?" Dooku asks. He hopes this Insurrection is truly on his side, and the Dark Side is whispering in his ear, telling him that this army can be trusted.

"Well, considering my people are currently taking over this pitiful planet and that we've already destroyed their capitol city, yes, we are on your side."

To Clayton's slight surprise, Dooku laughs out loud at the blunt response. "Indeed. Take me to your commanding officer, and I will help start our alliance."

"Alright, then, if you will come with me. Men, secure the area. Kill any clones that remain." Clayton orders then walks back into the Pelican.

"Get all the supplies down planet-side. And send a message to all troops and captains that the Insurrectionists are with us." Dooku orders the command droid, then walks into the Pelican with Daniel.

Within seconds, the Pelican's hatch closes up and the ship rises into the air, flying towards the capitol city. Dooku walk to the pilot's area of the Pelican and witnesses the black smoke pillars curling into the air, away from the demolished city. The frigate is still floating high above the city, gleaming brightly in the sun. Within minutes, the Pelican flies to the ship which is opening its docking bays to allow the Pelican to enter safely. The hatch opens up and Daniel walk off, Dooku following close behind.

The docking bay is full of men and women in the same black armor with the bright red stripe in the middle, who are standing at attention. "So…you finally brought our guest. I was getting bored with bombing these pathetic people." A voice says and another man walks into view. Dooku's eyes widen when he sees that this soldier has completely different armor than everyone else. He has steel armor with orange trim all over his body and a strange symbol on the top of his helmet. A white skull with 3 lines curving down on either side. It vaguely reminds Dooku of the symbols the mandalorians would use.

"Indeed, I lead the CIS. May I inquire as to who you are?" He asks cautiously. This man, while sounding cocky, also has a layer of madness to it, like he would do anything that would get in his way.

He can't tell for sure, but he suspects the man is smirking under his helmet. "Oh, the name is Felix. If I heard everything about you right, you and I are going to get along really well. Now, I would stick around and ask if you would like to help destroy more cities, but my boss has asked me to bring you to the bridge to meet him." With that, Felix starts walking away from the leader of the CIS.

Dooku follows, suspecting that everything is about to change.

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, that last part was fun to write.

The Insurrection has finally made an appearance, Felix is alive (you'll find out how later) and a known Insurrection member is revealed.

For all those who don't know who Daniel Clayton is, he is the illegitimate son of Captain James Cutter and his secret mistress. Think I'm bullshitting you? Look him up.

*I don't know if it's actually called Memorial Hill, but I thought the name fit, considering it is used as the major funeral center in Halo 3, after the Human-Covenant War.

See you next time, when Red vs. Blue lore is delved into again.


	17. Chapter 17: Sidewinder

**July 15** **th**

 **2583/20 BBY**

 **10:06 am UNSC time**

 **Jedi Temple**

 **Corusant**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

Aayla Secura rubs both sides of her temples and lets out a long sigh, exhaustion working its way through her head. While she is not normally this stressed, everything has been anything but easy these days.

The Clone Wars have not been going well for the Republic at all, especially the Jedi Order. No matter how hard the Jedi lead Grand Army of the Republic fights, they cannot gain an advantage over the UNSC or the CIS that is actually meaningful. Also, the clone ARC trooper Fives was killed by another clone trooper after he was accused of attempting to assassinate Chancellor Palpatine. Secura, however, senses that something else was going on there. Fives had been working relentlessly for weeks now, trying to figure out what was in his head before the Halo Incident, as all the survivors have taken to calling it. The young Twi'lek Jedi suspects that he may have found something. Something dangerous.

But Aayla can't focus on that investigation, for a true tragedy had broken out that must be addressed. The people of the Republic are starting to become disillusioned with the Jedi's role in the galaxy as peacekeepers since they have become generals for the clone army, comparing the Jedi to the UNSC Spartans, who are quickly becoming some of the most feared soldiers. As if that wasn't enough, a bomb went off in the middle of the Jedi Temple hangar, killing dozens. When the Jedi cleaned the mess up, they discovered that the explosion killed numerous clone soldiers, maintenance workers and 6 Jedi, one of whom was Knight Tutso Mara. After the funeral was held, Grandmaster Yoda personally assigned Anakin and Ahsoka to investigate who was behind the attack. All was going well when the duo figured Republic anti-war activist Letta Turmond was involved in the attack, and their suspicions were confirmed when they found nano-droids in the food she fed to her missing husband Jackar Bowmani, effectively turning him into a living bomb.

However, a mere day later, Turmond was killed and all the blame was placed on young Ahsoka's shoulders. Before the clones could apprehend her, she disarmed them and successfully escaped Corusant.

Aayla, however, doesn't believe for a second that Ahsoka would do anything like this. As much as the Twi'lek wants to prove her friend's innocence, she was being summoned by Grandmaster Yoda to discuss something that just came up. When Aayla hears the message from the clone, she thanks him and when the soldier leaves her private quarters, she groans in exhaustion.

If only this war would end now, for everyone's sake.

Regaining her composure and forcing any emotion off her face, Aayla stands up and leaves her private quarters to meet her master. As she strolls down the long, red-carpeted hallways of the main Jedi Temple, she can't but notice the solemn faces of her fellow Jedi she walks by. They all radiate varying degrees of pain, sadness, and acceptance that more of their friends and comrades will die before this war is over.

After a few more minutes of silence, she arrives at a nearby communication room where Yoda, Anakin and Obi-Wan are currently standing around a circular communication device. If anything, Anakin and Obi-Wan look worse than Aayla about Ahsoka's predicament. "Master Yoda, Master Skywalker, Master Kenobi." Aayla says, bowing in respect to the ancient green Jedi.

Yoda nods back. "Master Secura. Glad to see you, I am."

A chill runs down Aayla's back as she gets a bad feeling. "Did something happen?"

Anakin coughs loudly, "Yes. You can say that."

Yoda nods in agreement. "Indeed. Found us a new planet in UNSC territory, we have. Abandoned, it is. But found an old facility there, our scouts have."

Aayla stares at Yoda for a long moment, then turns her attention to Obi-Wan, then to Anakin. "So, you want me to help you go to this base and finally learn more about the UNSC's technology since I'm one of the only Jedi who has nowhere to go at the moment?" She guesses.

All she gets is a nod of assent from Yoda. Anakin and Obi-Wan look both relieved and saddened. The female Jedi already knows why the 2 have those expressions, and she sighs in defeat. "All right, I'll come with you. I need something to do to keep my mind off of…you know what."

"Well, now that that's settled, why don't we get going?" Anakin asks. Obi-Wan's eyes widen a little at his former padawan's impatient attitude, but agrees that just standing around is starting to get aggravating. Especially since the CIS has been gaining traction at an alarming rate, with the rate of an army who wears black armor aiding them. The Republic can barely keep up. At first, the Jedi thought it was the UNSC, but they changed their minds when they saw the vastly different symbols and how differently they operated. The UNSC marines, while they are sarcastic, at least fight with honor, while these new warriors often use under-handed terrorist maneuvers to get an advantage. Numerous Republic-friendly merchant ships fell victim to those tactics.

"Immediately, you will." Yoda responds. He then walks over to the machine and turns on the holographic projection. The projection of a tall man with shaved hair stands at attention.

"Admiral Wurtz. Need 1 of your starcruisers, I do. Accompany the Jedi on a mission, you must."

"Yes, General." Wurtz responds, standing even more stiffly before the holo cut off.

* * *

 **12:08 pm UNSC time**

 **Onboard Acclamator-class starcruiser**

 **Orbiting Sidewinder**

* * *

Together, the 3 Jedi stand on the bridge of the Acclamator cruiser they were given as they look out at the planet. The planet is surprisingly small and completely covered in ice.

The crew is anxious, scared that the Spartans, Sangheili, or those black-armored soldiers might try attacking at any minute. "Admiral Wurtz, keep the ship in orbit. Aayla, Anakin, and myself will lead individual squads of ARC troopers planet-side and find this base."

"Good luck, generals. And may the Force be with you." Wurtz says.

"Same with you, Admiral." The Jedi leave the bridge and make their way to the bridge where 3 LAATs are being prepared for departure, getting into their snow gear. Not speaking a word, the 3 Jedi walk towards the gunships. The squad of 60 ARCs, 20 per ship, notice the coming Jedi and stop working so they can salute them.

"Is everything ready?" Obi-Wan asks the pilot once the trio get within speaking distance of the ship.

"Yes Generals. We're ready to pull out now as a matter of fact." The pilot responds, walking towards the pilot seat. Soon, the 3 Jedi go their separate ways and each board a gunship. The blast doors are shut and in perfect unison, the LAATs fly out of the just-opened docking bays and make their way to the surface of the ice planet.

Several tense minutes pass, expecting an ambush or something along those lines. Thus far, nothing but complete silence. The 3 ships fly past the rocky terrains before finding a piece of flat land in the middle of a canyon the Republic discovered and setting down on the ground. Snow gets blasted in every direction as the ships activate their landing mechanism. The blast doors open and the Jedi, having gotten on large snow jackets so they can stay warm, jump out and lead the ARCs as they also jump. "Hey, Generals. Check this out!" A clone shouts, wiping the snow off a large, oddly-shaped lump in the ground. "Gah!" The soldier shouts, flinching back when he sees the gold facemask of a Spartan soldier's helmet.

The Jedi ignite their lightsabers, ready for an attack, when they see the helmet. "Hang on. Give me a second." Aayla says, using the Force. Within seconds, the snow is wiped off to reveal a Spartan in full battle armor. But this Spartan was different than any other they've seen. His armor looks much older and bulkier than the infamous Spartan's regular armor, and his armor his bright blue. In his hands is what looks like an older model of the standard UNSC assault rifle. Aayla gets to her knees and presses her fingers on his neck. "He's dead." She whispers, looking down in wonder.

"Um, Generals. There's more." Another trooper says, looking behind him. The Jedi turn around and notice more lumps in the thick layer of snow. Anakin then uses the Force to push the show off the strange lumps. As they all expected, the corpses of more soldiers in the same dark blue armor are found, laying in odd positions. With the snow cleared off, the dried blood on the stone can be clearly seen along with older-looking UNSC weaponry, ranging from pistols to rocket launchers, and the strangest part is that one of the soldier's facemasks has cracks running all across it and a skull lying next to his head.

"What happened to them?" Obi-Wan asks, a little scared of whoever or whatever managed to kill all these Spartans. Anakin wonders the same thing while he looks around for anything else. Suddenly, he spots an opening in the side of a snowy mountain.

"I just found our entrance." Anakin calls to the group. They all look in the direction of where he's looking.

"Good job, Anakin. All right, men. I want 20 of you to scout the area. Aayla, join them in the scouting. Find a safe place to perch, and set your rifles to sniper mode. The rest of us, we're going inside the base to investigate." Obi-Wan says, pointing to 20 of the ARCs when he gave them their orders.

"Yes, General." They said in unison, then head up the snowy mountains. Aayla just nods in understanding then joins them on the trip. Then the rest of the group slowly make their way into the entrance of the base. Inside the base are vast, grey hallways that branch off, left and right.

"All right. We're splitting up to cover more ground. Obi-Wan, you take the left, along with half the troops. I will take everyone else and go to the right." Anakin says quickly, leading his squad of troops down the right hallways. The halls are surprisingly windy and on the walls are lined with prison cells that must suck to be inside.

"Men, keep your eyes out. We could be ambushed at any time." Anakin said, holding his activated lightsaber in front of him and using it as a source of light.

Just then, the gunshots go off from the alcoves. One of the ARCs was caught offguard by the sudden assault and received a shotgun blast to the head, killing him. "We got company!" A clone shouts as he shoots at the alcove where the shots came from.

"Just go!" Anakin shouts as he makes his way further into the base, the rest of his men running close behind as they flee from the attackers. They continue to make their way through the winding corridors of the grey base until they make their way back outside. There, in the middle of the snowy field, is a squat concrete base. More gunshots go off and Obi-Wan with his squad are running out of the entrance Anakin and his men came through. "I see you met our new friends."

"Yes. They chased us out of the corridor you assigned us to." Obi-Wan responds in a half-joking manner as the ARCs fire behind them, trying to keep the enemy soldiers at bay.

Before Anakin can respond, the Force screams in warning. The Jedi raises his lightsaber just in time to avoid getting cut in half by a large energy sword, being wielded by a man in bulky aqua colored armor, with a bulbous helmet with a gold facemask. Obi-Wan takes advantage of the stalemate and tries to strike at the soldier. But he's a lot faster than either Jedi anticipated, since he swung his energy blade at Obi-Wan with a strength that knocks Obi-Wan's lightsaber out of his hand. Anakin quickly strikes, but the warrior's speed is clearly underestimated and he blocks the strike.

"Is that all you've got? I've been training with a blue-haired chick for months now. You have no idea how hard I have gotten. Bow chicka bow wow." He said with a cocky voice.

"Ha! Got you!" A high, almost child-sounding voice, said and a blue-armored soldier jumped out from his cover. Only problem: He is facing the wrong direction.

"Uh, Caboose. You're facing the wrong direction. They're behind you." Tucker said, just barely managing to keep up with Anakin's quick strikes. Obi-Wan's eyes, however, widen when he realizes it's the angry blue soldier who he fought during the Chorusan Massacre.

"Oh yeah. There they are." Caboose says, turning around, "I thought they had turned invisible. Which is what the mean girls can do."

When Caboose says that, Tucker is finally overwhelmed and uses the Force on the ground around Tucker, knocking him onto his back 5 feet away and disarmed. Caboose then lifts his assault rifle. "Freckles, help Tucker by doing whatever you do."

Much to everyone's shock, the rifle responds with a robotic voice, "You mean fire. Affirmative, Captain Caboose." His gun starts firing bullets in all directions, killing another 2 ARCs and barely missing Anakin as he ducks under the shockingly accurate shots. Just then, Aayla and her own squad come walking towards them.

"Don't relax just yet." Aayla says as she and her men walk forward, with UNSC marines pointing their guns at their backs.

"What's going on?" A female and very familiar voice asks. The Jedi's eyes nearly pop out of their skull when they turn towards the base, and sure enough, dressed in a set of camouflages green UNSC battle armor, is Ahsoka Tano herself.

"Snips?" Anakin asks, disbelieving at what he's seeing.

She turns her head to Anakin, and smiles. "Hello, Master. You may be wondering what happened to me in my exile that warrants this. But the truth is much harsher for any of you to bear: The UNSC aren't your enemies, but the entire Republic are complete fools. You let the CIS form, you let everything happen, which started this war. My loyalty is now with the UNSC."

Obi-Wan still looks completely shocked at this turn of events, as they are starting to become surrounded as more and more marines leave the base. "Ahsoka, please. You don't have to do this." Aayla pleads with her old friend.

"Oh, don't worry. We're not going to kill you. Once we've finished clearing out the base, you will be sent to the Midnight Facility. After we have finished clearing this base out." Ahsoka says, betraying a look of pain in her eyes.

"What are we going to do with the bodies?" Caboose asks.

"Now!" Anakin shouts. The ARCs understood instantly, and leapt into action, knocking the unprepared marines back. One of them slammed the butt of his rifle into Ahsoka's head, knocking her unconscious. He then scoops her up and they start running as fast as they can across the barren, snowy fields with marines regaining their focus and start firing on them. The ARCs try to fire back, but their blaster shots are too random to actually hit their mark, but one marine fires his sniper rifle, hitting the soldier in the back's head. The soldier's head explodes, showering the other soldiers' armor with blood.

"Well, this mission sure went horribly." Another ARC remarks as they run towards the LAATs. The marines start running at them when their eyes drift up. Obi-Wan, even at a distance, could see that they are afraid of something. One of them even screams, "Thundersnow!" Then they turn around and start running back to the base.

"Oh no." Obi-Wan says. They all follow his line of sight and see something truly horrifying. A huge storm, composed of snow, is flying right towards them at alarming speeds. As if that wasn't enough, lightning starts crackling in the middle.

"We need to get out of here." Aayla says, then they start running towards the gunships, hoping to make it to their ships before the storm reaches them. As Anakin runs towards the ship, he notices one of the dead Spartans on the ground.

He stops in his tracks and uses both his hands to start yanking on the helmet. "Anakin. What are you doing?" Obi-Wan demands, staring at Anakin in shock.

"Master, we need to bring back something to make this trip worthwhile. Well, Ahsoka is very important, but I want to do something successful that means something. Taking this helmet will be worthwhile." Anakin responds, then decides to stop using brute force. Anakin stands up and uses the Force on the armor. Luckily, this attempt works and the helmet rips off the Spartan's head. Tucking it under his arm, Anakin runs towards the only open LAAT as the thundersnow only gets closer and closer.

"General, get in!" An ARC shouts in worry. Anakin keeps on running and running until he decides to lunge. He manages to land inside the LAAT, with the trooper sealing the blast door and the gunships start picking up. Suddenly, ship rocks back and forth, being rocked around by the intense winds of the storm.

"We're pulling up. Hang on!" The pilot said as he pulls on his controls. The gunship soars high into the air for several seconds before it levels out. "All right. We're heading back to the ship."

During the entire trip, Anakin looks down at the still-unconscious form of Ahsoka. He knows she had nothing to do with the bombing, and the Force is warning him that something else is going on. 'Ahsoka, what happened to you out there?'

* * *

 _AN:_ Yes, all done!

So what do you think? The Reds and Blues will definitely appear again in the not-too-distant future and Ahsoka had allied herself with the UNSC.

How that came to be…will be explained much later.

Anyway, see you next time when the true betrayer is discovered.

Have a Happy Easter.


	18. Chapter 18: Culprit Caught

**July 20** **th**

 **2583/20 BBY**

 **7:15 am UNSC time**

 **Random Sidewalk**

 **Corusant**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker is walking down the sidewalks of the bustling city of Corusant, much quicker than he would normally work, passing by civilians and speeders flying in all directions to the point where it could almost be thought of as the world blurring around him, the planet's only sun starting to show signs of rising.

Ahoska is innocent. Anakin can feel it in every bone in his body, but time is running out to prove it. Today, in less than 3 hours, Ahsoka is going to be put on trial for the Jedi Temple's bombing.

Anakin has started to lose focus on the happenings of the Clone Wars so he instead focuses on finding a way to prove the feeling in his gut to the Jedi Council. So far, he is planning on wandering the streets of Corusant to clear his mind of the aggravation. A few days before, he had encountered Ventress in the lowest levels of Corusant. After Anakin realized her lightsabers had been stolen, he decided that it would be safe for the 2 to talk with him being wary for anything Ventress might pull. It turns out that after Dooku left her for dead out of her of her growing powers, Ventress decided to become a bounty hunter, finding jobs in the lowest districts of Corusant after moving on from the Outer Rim. Apparently, after the bombing, Ventress had realized that Ahsoka become wanted and tried to bring her in to collect on Ahsoka's high bounty. But Ahsoka managed to escape Ventress long enough to just disappear without a trace. A mere day later, someone had tried to attack her in her sleep and despite Ventress managing to electrocute her attacker for a few seconds, whoever it was managed to escape with her lightsabers. Since then, Ventress has been conducting her own investigation as to what had happened behind the scenes.

The part that Anakin also found rather interesting was that before the bombings, the last person Ahsoka had talked to was her friend Barriss Offee. He suspects that she might have something to do with this bombing, since it's rather rare for a low-level family like the Bowmanis to be in possession of something as dangerous as nano-droids.

Anakin is still walking down the streets, looking for Barriss, who had apparently decided to leave the Temple to relax for the day after the stress that has been spreading through the Jedi ranks.

Soon, Anakin turns to a side-street on his left and walks down the narrow, winding streets until he arrives at the black market's entrance. If there's any place where something as illegal as nano-droids can be found, this is the place. The guards to the entrance are 2 aliens with wrinkling grey skin and long fingers wrapped around blaster rifles, wearing oddly-shaped helmets and robes which are crimson-colored, point their rifles at the approaching Jedi.

But Anakin just lifts his mind, "You will permit me entrance." He says coolly. The guards instantly lower their rifles at the command. One of them then turns around and pushes some buttons into the panel behind him. The doors slide apart and the 2 guards stand at attention. Anakin nods in gratitude and walks through the doors into the bustling streets of the black market. Open kiosks line both sides of the street, with humans, droids, and aliens of all races and genders walk around, haggling over products and whatnot.

Anakin walks down the streets, looking around as he walks deeper and deeper into the black market, walking into the X section, where many products the Galactic Republic declared illegal can still be bought and sold. As Anakin walks by the numerous kiosks, who are selling anything illegal, ranging from the Bulldog Rocket Launching Rifle to sensor jammers, he has to fight the urge to bring in every low life in this pit. But proving Ahsoka's innocence comes first. In the middle of the left kiosk, a human man with a variety of droids and explosives, such as buzzdroids and thermal detonators. Thinking he is a good place to start, Anakin walks over to him. "Hello. How can I help you?" He asks in Basic with a smile that can almost pass off as a sneer.

"Yes, you can help. I was led to believe that you sold nano-droids at one point." Anakin responds, not pulling his hood down. If he did, everyone would recognize him and that would only complicate things.

The man blinks in surprise. "I'm not selling nano-droids. But I have heard they are very popular nowadays."

"Considering that they were the cause for the bombing at the Jedi Temple, I am inclined to agree." Anakin says, his tone becoming colder with each word that passes.

The man now looks shocked and scared for his life now, for this could be the end of his black-market days. "I already told you, I do not sell nano-droids. I don't…"

Anakin then walks closer to the man and grabs him by the throat with his prosthetic hand. "Enough games. Now tell me the truth. Did you sell nano-droids to anyone in the last few days?" He stresses every word of his question, showing that getting on Anakin's bad side would have unfortunate consequences.

"Alright. Alright. I'll tell you." The man chokes out, sweat already beading on his face. Anakin instantly lets go of the man's neck, causing him to stumble for a second before regaining balance. "Okay. There was this woman who came here several days ago. I couldn't see her face, but she wore a black cloak similar to the one you're wearing. By the sound of her voice, she's old enough to become a Jedi padawan, but too young to be an adult. She came here to buy a set of my nano-droids I used to have on the market. She was an odd fellow, constantly poking around each crevice of the market. Of course, when I heard about the attack on the Jedi Temple, I figured someone would come after me so I got rid of all the nano-droids I was selling. I swear to you, I had nothing to do with the attack!" The man said, almost sobbing at this point.

"All right, I believe you. Go back to what you were doing." Anakin said, then walks away from the X section and the market altogether, pondering his discovery. A young woman, dressed in a black cloak, who would he…then it hits Anakin. He suddenly has an idea as to who was behind the attack all along. His stomach churns in pain, hoping that his new theory isn't right, but there's only one way to find out. The poking around part, though, made him confused.

Anakin then makes his way back to his speeder, which he used to quickly travel from the Jedi Temple to the streets of Corusant. R2-D2, who is still in the fighter, beeps at him in questioning when he sees Anakin approaching. "Yes, R2. I think that I solved the Jedi Bombing. Let's get back to the Temple." He says, then gets into the cockpit and activates the fighter's engines, flying into the air before returning to the Jedi Temple, which rises higher into the sky than any other skyscraper on Corusant. As he returns to the Temple, the Jedi Knight looks down on the city.

Everything is peaceful at the moment, a city out of the reach of the horrors of war. From the UNSC and Sangheili and their methods of waging war. It is with these solemn thoughts that Anakin arrives at the docking bay. Setting the ship down quickly, Anakin opens his cockpit and jumps off, R2 beeping almost solemnly as Anakin walks away from the fighter and the docking bays.

Soon, Anakin is back in the main temple area, walking down the open hallways that always makes the temple feel empty despite its hundreds of occupants. Walking down the red-carpeted hallways, he walks to one of the Sentinels of the temple. "Tell the others that I may have found the one behind the Temple Bombing." The Sentinel just nods and walks off to alert the others. Anakin continues his walk to personal chambers of all the padawans. Luckily, he already knows the location of the chambers where Barriss Offee lives. Soon, he arrives at the door and knocks 3 times.

"Enter." Barriss's voice says from behind the door. The door slides up and Anakin walks into the small chamber. Barriss is in a meditative position, sitting in front of a small statue which no doubt came from her species' culture, with 3 candles on either side. She stands up and looks surprised when she sees him approaching. "Master Skywalker. I wasn't aware that you were coming."

"It's all right. I just came to ask you if you had spoken with Ahsoka after the attack. Or if you left the temple at any time before it happened." Anakin responds. Barriss's dark blue eyes widen in slight surprise.

"I'm afraid that I haven't been in contact with Ahsoka. I mean, her bombing the Temple is just ridiculous. You don't think it's her, do you?" Barriss asks.

"No, I don't. I think she's been played by someone else."

"Like Ventress?" Barriss suggests. Anakin looks at her, and she is finally starting to look nervous. "I mean, I've heard that Ventress has been seen around Level 1313. She could have easily attacked the temple."

"Yet Ventress speaks otherwise. I spoke to her a few days ago; said that someone attacked her and stole her lightsabers. Today, I spoke with a man in the local black market. He said that he sold the nano-droids which were responsible for the bombing to a cloaked woman. Also mentioned that the same woman was scouting out the same market." Anakin said, using the Force to summon her lightsaber resting at the alter into his hands.

Barriss starts backing up towards a vase in the left-hand corner of her room, fear starting to work its way onto her face. "That woman who bought the nano-droids has to be Ventress. Only she hates the Jedi and knows how they work to do something like that. You can't possibly think that Ahsoka did it, can you?"

Anakin is trying to fight a smirk off his face when he senses the fear starting to grow. He has no more doubt in his mind that it's her. "No, I don't believe Ahsoka is guilty of the treachery. Nor Ventress. I think that they are both telling the truth. There's only one way to find out." He then activates Barriss's sky blue lightsaber and swings it down at her right arm with the intention of incapacitating her long enough to bring her before the court.

Unfortunately, Barriss reacts faster. She uses the Force on the vase, summoning 2 curved silver and black lightsaber hilts and activates them, shooting out twin red blades which stop the single blue blade in its tracks.

"Those are Ventress's lightsabers." Anakin says, finally having proof that Barriss was the terrorist behind the attack all along. "Why did you steal them?"

"I had to silence the woman they arrested before she gave me away. Besides, I think they suite me." Barriss responds, all the fear that was in her eyes are gone, replaced with an almost crazed fanaticism.

Anakin gets into battle mode, swiping Barriss's lightsabers to the left, then Force pushes her out of her room. She is well-trained and experienced in a fight, so she easily lands on her feet. Knowing that she's been caught, the padawan turns to the left and starts running down the halls in an attempt to escape the Temple. But Anakin is faster, leaping high into the air and swinging his new lightsaber at Barriss's head, only for her to block it. "How could you betray Ahsoka? How could you betray the Order?" Anakin demands as he swipes at her again, only for Barriss to leap into the air and avoid the attack and tries to cut Anakin in half, an attack that he blocks easily.

"Because I see the truth now. The only thing the Jedi stand for now is spreading chaos and violence across the galaxy. I have felt the darkness surrounding your actions, and they make my own look petty." She spits out, anger dripping from her voice. She then slashes at him with one of her new lightsabers, with Anakin blocking it. Instead of trying to cut him apart, she uses Force push on him. Caught off-guard by the combination, Anakin is sent flying backwards until he crashes on his back, Barriss's blue lightsaber deactivating and falling out of his hand. Taking advantage of the break, Barriss turns to her right in attempt to escape.

Her hopes are dashed when 3 Jedi wearing Sentinel armor run down the hall, effectively blocking her path. "Surrender, traitor! You have nowhere to run!" One of them says in a deep voice, the trio activating their staff sabers and activating the yellow beams in perfect unison. Barriss turns around, only to find that another 4 Sentinels have arrived, activating their staff sabers as well. She starts backing up a little, only for to turn around and just barely block Anakin's new attack with his familiar lightsaber. The 2 start spinning around slowly until Barriss's back is facing the glass window that overlooks the Temple gardens where numerous younglings are learning how to wield a lightsaber. Barriss tries to hold her own, but slowly, she starts getting pushed back by the raw strength that Anakin wields. Eventually, Anakin breaks the padawan's stance, distracting her long enough for him to use Force push. Barriss sails into the air, forcing the glass behind her to shatter into tiny pieces and spread all across the ground as she rolls down the slanted roof towards another flat section of the roof. Anakin jumps high into the air again and tries again to incapacitate Barriss.

Unfortunately, she is still as fast as ever, as she rolls to the right to avoid the attack and jumps to her feet, reactivating her lightsabers and resumes their duel. "Help him!" A male human youngling shouts to his friends and teachers, seeing the Mirialan padawan attacking a respected Jedi Knight with twin red lightsabers. Despite their age, even the younglings had figured out who is the aggressor in this duel.

Anakin swipes to his left, causing Barriss to lose her balance and fall down to the ground where the younglings are. Fortunately, they are smart enough to back away from the crazy ex-Jedi as she once again lunges towards Anakin. He, however, sets a crazy plan in motion. He uses his open left arm to grab Offee's right while locking their blades together again. She tries to break from Anakin's iron grip, but his fist only clenches tighter and tighter. Finally, she can't take it anymore and drops her lightsaber from the pain. The Jedi Knight then kicks Barriss back a foot then lifts his left hand. The Mirialan slams into the far wall, her entire body paralyzed.

With that, Barriss Offee drops her other lightsaber, rejection on her face. Accepting the fact that she has finally been caught.

* * *

 **8:20 am UNSC time**

 **Galactic Republic Court Room**

 **Corusant**

* * *

The time has come. Over the last 10 minutes, senators from the Galactic Senate had been gathering and taking their seats in the enormous court room. Then the Supreme Chancellor himself gets seated, 2 Senate guards on either side, before Ahsoka Tano. She is still wearing her UNSC model armor and staring at the Chancellor defiantly. Thus far, the trial has not been going well for Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka Tano. Do you anything to say to counter these charges?" Palpatine asks, looking at Ahsoka who is standing in the middle of the court, surrounded by 2 guards as a precaution.

She looks at the Chancellor with defiance. "If you think I'm going to grovel for mercy, then you've got the wrong idea." He answers coldly.

Several senators and Jedi murmur among themselves, Obi-Wan amongst them, only for Palpatine to raise his right hand. The chatter ceases instantly. "Very well then. As of this moment, Ahsoka Tano, I declare you…"

"Wait!" A voice calls out and Anakin runs into the court room, before stopping. Everyone stares at the newcomer, surprise written on their faces. Even Ahsoka is shocked to see her former master appear at her trial. "Ahsoka is innocent. I captured the real culprit." He waves his hand forward and 4 Jedi Sentinels walk forward, carrying a bound Barriss Offee between them. "Barriss? Did you coordinate the attack on the Jedi Hangar?" Anakin asks his prisoner coldly.

Barriss looks up to see the dumbfounded looks on everyone's faces, especially Ahsoka's and Luminara Unduli's, but she then focuses her glance on the Chancellor. "Not directly. I just provided the weapons to make it happen. After years of fighting in the Clone Wars, I have realized that the Republic and Jedi have lost their ways, only caring about domination over others and killing any who stand in your way. What really tipped me off that you have fallen was that a week before the bombing, the Force showed me a vision. A vision of a squad of clone troopers ordered by your greatest heroes to release a living plague that kills all life it touches. What does that tell you of the Jedi, huh?" Barriss asks, borderline insanity in her voice.

No one spoke during her short rant, shock that such a young woman, even a Jedi, would hold such bitter views about the Republic she had protected. Palpatine stares at the former padawan, a borderline emotionless look on his face. "I see. Unfortunately, Barriss Offee, you have confessed to treason against the Repubic and the Jedi Order. I hereby sentence you to live out the rest of your life at the Judiciary Central Dentention Center. Take her away."

Upon the Chancellor's orders, the Sentinels escort Barriss away from the court room. She doesn't even bother fighting against her captors. Everyone then turns toward a still-shaken Ahsoka. "Ahsoka Tano, I give you pardon and an apology."

"Thank you, Chancellor." Ahsoka says, bowing in respect.

"Ahsoka." Mace Windu says, walking over to the Togruta. "The Council would like to speak with you privately."

"Of course, Windu." Ahsoka responds, following him. But she looks back to see Anakin and gives him a reassuring smile before continuing her walk.

For over an hour, Anakin stands outside the court rooms, waiting to see what the Jedi Council wants to talk with Ahsoka about. He is broken from his thoughts when he sees Ahsoka walk out of the building and towards Anakin. She is still wearing her new armor and has a determined look on her face. "So? What did the Council want to talk with you about?" Anakin asks when Ahsoka is within 3 feet of her former master.

She stops in her tracks and looks up at him. "They apologized to me and asked if I would like to rejoin the Order as a Jedi Knight."

A lump forms in the back of Anakin's throat as he gets a solid idea on how Ahsoka responded to that offer. "And did you take the offer?"

Ahsoka shakes her head. "No, I'm going to forge my own path, a life I have complete reign over. I'm not sure where I'm going to go yet, but I'll think of something." She says this as she looks out at the vast city-planet that is Corusant.

Despite his expecting of the answer, he can't help but feel saddened that Ahsoka didn't decide to rejoin the Order. He clears his throat, causing Ahsoka to look at him. "I understand your decision. Wherever you go, may the Force be with you."

For the 2nd time that day, he sees Ahsoka smile at him. "Thank you. May the Force be with us all, Skyguy. I have this feeling that the Bitter Wars are only going to get messier before it's all over."

"The Bitter Wars?" Anakin asks, a little confused. He hadn't heard that name before.

"That's what the marines at the UNSC are dubbing the Clone Wars. You know, Skyguy, if you give them a chance, you will find that they aren't as bad as you think. For now, I bid you farewell." With those last words, Ahsoka uses the Force to leap high into the air and land on the ground, making her way through the streets.

Anakin heaves a sigh as he also starts looking out at the city. The more he thinks about it, a rather unsettling feeling starts making its way through his mind.

Someone has setting them up the entire time.

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, that's a wrap on that small arc.

I always found Barriss's motives on the actual show a little weak, so I decided to spice it up. Don't take it the wrong way, she was smart enough to realize that the Republic and Jedi were making stupid decisions. But I don't believe she ever saw anything in the Clone Wars that truly pushed her far enough to do the Bombing.

Anyway, see you next time when the Clone Wars/Bitter Wars are cranked up another notch.


	19. Chapter 19: Stepping Up

**July 25** **th**

 **2583/20 BBY**

 **8:15 am UNSC time**

 **United Earth Government (formerly United Nations) General Assembly Hall**

 **United Republic of North America**

 **Earth**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

The entire hall is in complete anarchy.

Men and women who represent various systems that are all UNSC-friendly are arguing with each other about what should be done regarding the Galactic Republic and the CIS, with members of the Swords of Sanghelios also being present. Lately, the CIS has been beating back UNSC attempts to scout the Inner Rim and tearing apart the Republic after the revelation that the entire Insurrection from UNSC space united and decided to cooperate with the Confederacy.

"Enough!" Lawrence's voice shouts, cutting through the people and Sangheili arguing with each other. It works and both parties quiet down so they can hear what the head of the UNSC has to say. "This bickering is pointless. We need to take action now. Arbiter, do you have anything to say?" He asks when he notices that the gold-armored Sangheili is standing up.

Arbiter nods in gratitude, then faces the crowd again. "Indeed, I do. Every second that passes merely holding the mongrel Republic and their Separatists gives them more time to find Sanghelios and Earth. We need to end this war now, before our people start to suffer the war's consequences. Thus far, as the humans would say, we have been handling our opponents with kid gloves. We need to show the Republic and CIS that we will not tolerate them any longer and unless they surrender, they will be obliterated."

Everyone sits in their seats, staring at the Arbiter in shock and contemplating his words. "I agree, Arbiter." Everyone's attention now turns to the Madame President, who is sitting at the front of the conference hall. She is frowning deeply and a hardened look on her face made some senators feel a shiver travel down their spines. "We have been treating both parties too nicely. If it means the safety of our people, I recommend that we start using tactics and weapons used during the Human-Covenant War. All in favor of using nuclear bombardments and energy projectors that were upgraded after the Great War to show our enemies that we are far from the 'primitives' they see us as?"

Almost every hand shot into the air at the proposal. The only exception is Senator Vanessa Kimball, but she lets out a sigh, catching everyone's attention. "If it means that my planet and people will finally have peace, so be it." Then raises her hand as well.

"Very good. I believe that due to its location, Esfandia would make a suitable example." Rtas, recently promoted to being the Fleetmaster of the entire fleet of the Swords of Sanghelios, states next to Arbiter.

"But who shall lead the attack? Winter and most of our captains and shipmasters are busy defending our colonies." A senator shouts.

"I know." A calm voice says. Then Senator Del Rio stands up to address the crowd. "My fellow Senators and Sangheili members, I think a joint attack is required for this operation to have success. As such, I believe that Shipmaster Atem 'Vladum and Captain Winter's uncle, Admiral Snow, should be sent."

"A shipmaster and admiral, both well-known for being rather brutal on the battlefield? Are they both necessary?" Vanessa asks, looking at Del Rio. But since her helmet is still on, no one can see her face, so they can't tell if it's an honest question or a scathing one.

Del Rio whirls on her, glaring slightly but regains his composure after a few seconds. "Yes. Thanks to ONI's new base at Scarif, we had recently received news that the Republic had upped their Grand Army's presence on the desert planet and bases there make it a perfect rallying point, ensuring no one takes it. Since the people of my system donated the materials that were sued to build the station that the ONI is now using, I will be personally inspecting the base while this operation occurs. I will make sure that the base is secure enough to repel any attack."

The assembly hall doesn't burst in argument this time, since they all already knew about the upped security. ONI had briefed them about it not too long ago. Peterson leans back in her seat, thinking, then straightens up again. "Very well. Fleet Admiral Lawrence Hood, send Shipmaster 'Vladum and Admiral Snow with their fleets and begin Operation: Hiroshima. This meeting is now adjourned. I wish you all godspeed."

Everyone gets up and walk out of the hall, conversing with each other about how they almost feel bad for the Republic and CIS for what will be in store for them.

* * *

 **14:23 UNSC time**

 **Aboard the UNSC Charon-class flagship** _ **Panem**_

 **Slipspace**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

ODST Sergeant Ahsoka Tano, despite sweating lightly, feels a smirk forming on her face. If she plays this right, the battle is hers.

"A-1." Fellow Sergeant David "Dave" Perry states, sitting across from her with a board game known as _Battleship_. It was passed down through Dave's family for many centuries, and Ahsoka finds it quite fascinating. Sitting in a ring all around them in the middle of the docking bay are the remaining 8 members of their ODST squad, watching the game with borderline awe. Both her helmet and Dave's helmets are off, just like everyone elses', so their faces are revealed. After Ahsoka returned to the UNSC after her farce of a trial, they commended her for her commitment and promoted her from normal marine status to being an ODST Sergeant after the last one was killed in a battle with the CIS. While the change was hard to adjust to for her, she had already befriended the entire unit she was assigned to.

"Miss." Ahsoka responds, receiving a low growl from Dave. She had already got a feel as to the formations of Dave's battleships, and if her instincts are right, she has won the game. "R-4."

Shock shone in Dave's dark brown eyes, before he shouts, "God damn it!" Then lowers his head, to the point where his curly black hair shadows his face. "Hit, and you sunk my last battleship."

Ahsoka snickers a little at his antics. While she does miss her old friends, like Captain Rex and Anakin Skywalker, she does find the sarcastic remarks and mostly jovial nature of the UNSC soldiers quite amusing; certainly a pleasant change from the stoic clones she led. Dave stands up, putting all the plastic pieces back into the box and closing it, before lifting his right hand. "Good match."

"Why, thank you." Ahsoka responds, shaking his hand.

"I'm impressed." Private Harold Bean states bluntly, an amused look on his pale, chiseled face that shows that he isn't that old, what with his short black hair that almost covers his right eye, which is a unique red. Quite contradictory to his last name, Bean is easily the brute of the group, often spending time to lifting weight and training with Sangheili to keep his physical condition he got during his time when he was a Spartan-IV at its peak. But he can still think through many complex situations, given enough time.

"What Bean is saying is that it's quite impressive that you beat Perry at _Battleship_. None of us have even come close to kicking his ass yet." Their unit's leader, Lieutenant Juan Gutiérrez, says with surprise in his voice. He has dark brown eyes, like Perry, but has a darker skin tone and dark tamed hair that gives people the vibe that he can maintain a cool composure even in the heat of battle.

"Probably 'cause we hadn't tried getting him drunk enough." Private Kali Parker responds with a borderline cocky tone in her voice, laying to the side.

Everyone starts cracking up at that mentality, until a man in a formfitting grey yellow uniform with grey shoulder pads that have the UNSC symbol printed on each side runs to them. The ODSTs immediately stop laughing and stand at attention, saluting the man. He salutes them back then turns to Ahsoka. "Sergeant Tano, Admiral Snow would like to speak with you. If you will come with me. The rest of you, gear up; we're almost at Esfandia, ETA 10 minutes." The officer says quickly, almost breathing hard.

"Good luck, Ahsoka." Bean says, crossing his muscled arms over his armored chest. Ahsoka nods and follows the bridge officer, anxiety forming in her stomach. She had met with so many Captains, Admirals and other military officers that she would normally felt comfortable being around them, but not UNSC Admiral Oswell C. Snow. He is as cunning as they come and would not be afraid of using any and all underhanded techniques ever invented if it would tilt any battle into his favor. At least he cares about the people under his command, so no one working for him have to worry…much. His high standards and aggressive training that he makes his soldiers endure so they are the best they can be.

Soon, the duo reach the bridge, where the rest of the deck officers are at work, doing their jobs. "Admiral, Sergeant Tano is here as you requested." The officer said, shifting back and forth slightly.

"Thank you. You may go back to your post." Snow responds, not looking at the officer. He nods and returns to the front of the bridge to check on Engineering. Snow then turns to Ahsoka and looks at her. She, in turn, sees the man in the standard grey UNSC military uniform, with pale, lightly wrinkled skin with white hair that stretches down into a short beard and piercing black eyes. "Now, you may be wondering why I called you here. It's so I can ask you a question: What do you know about the base?"

Ahsoka is confused by the question. "What do you mean?"

Snow looks at her calculatingly, which almost sends shivers down Ahsoka's back. It seems that all those who fought in the Human-Covenant War have some degree of intimidation about them. "I mean; what do you know about the base on Esfandia? More specifically, according to your records, you were one of the 3 Jedi who were in the system as the base was being built. If we are to have victory, I need to know what we are up against."

Ahsoka mulls the words over, thinking about her time on the planet about 6 months ago. Six months…it's hard to believe that not much time had passed since the war took its turn for the worse. "OK. I'll tell everything I know, even though it might not be much. I do know that there is a major Republic base on the surface of the planet, but it's built into a mountain so it's not visible from the surface. It wouldn't surprise me if more bases were built there recently."

Before Snow could respond, the holographic devices activate and the shipboard AI, Geronimo, appears. He has a slim build and traditional Indian attire on him. "Admiral. We have arrived at our destination."

"Good. Pull us out of slipspace."

The AI disappears and the officers immediately get to work and soon, the _Panem_ pulls out of slipspace, with 2 Epoche-class cruisers and either side and 3 Sangheili ships, 2 of which are Man O' Wars while the flagship is a CAS-class carrier. Before them, about 600 klicks below them, is the red rocky planet of Esfandia. To everyone's surprise and extreme suspicion, only 6 Venator-class star destroyers are hanging outside the planet's atmosphere. "It's not a trap." Ahsoka says, catching the Admiral's attention. "When I helped oversee the construction of the main base, it was built so there would be loads of space for the star cruisers to set down on the planet and refuel. It just means we caught them offguard."

Snow nods. "Thank you, Sergeant. Now rejoin your squad. You will be dropped via pod into the Venator's docking bay. Secure it and you shall be assisted by the marines once they land and take the bridge. Good luck, Sergeant."

"Thank you, Admiral." Ahsoka responds, saluting him. He returns to the gesture and she runs out of the bridge and back to the docking bay, where the ODSTs stationed there are already boarding their specifically marked pods and Spartan Fireteam Crimson are getting loaded up on a Pelican as well.

"Let's show these clones how we do things." Parker says, her helmet back on and her battle rifle in her lap.

Ahsoka smirks, thanking Perry when he gives her the ODST helmet she was given, immediately putting it on, and straps herself onto the seat of the unit's pod. Soon, everyone is loaded up and Bean pulls the door closed. Silence reigns in the pod as everyone does their last checks on their weapons, along with Ahsoka who looks at her lightsaber. Just because she isn't a Jedi doesn't mean she should just get rid of it. "Is that a lightsaber?" Gutiérrez asks.

All Ahsoka can do is nod, before the pod starts shaking heavily and start bouncing up and down. "This is the stairway to hell." Bean mutters as the pod continues shaking around them. It continues for several more minutes until…BOOM!

The pod instantly jolts to a stop, smashing into something hard. Bean gets up, unbuckling himself from the seat, and punches the door with all his might. Luckily, the Republic had already put up emergency measures so the suction of space is not affecting the docking bay. The door pops off its hinge and smashes into a startled clone soldier, smashing him into the side of a LAAT. "Go, go, go!" Gutiérrez shouts, running out of the pod and firing his SAW in all directions. The clones don't stand a chance as they are cut down by the rapid-fire gun. The rest of his squad run out and take cover behind a LAAT as clones start firing their blaster rifles at the ODSTs. Ahsoka looks at them, then gets an idea. "Perry, throw one of your frags." Ahsoka shouts.

Perry nods, then unclips a grenade from his equipment, pulls the ring out, then throws it out of their cover. The clones jump out of the way, trying to avoid the explosion and shrapnel. Ahsoka takes advantage of the chaos to run out and activate her lightsaber. Swishing her blade in all directions, she slashes the clones apart. "Not a bad plan." Parker states. Then the doors open up and another squad of clones run out, firing at Ahsoka. But before they could get very far, a whoosh of flames flies out and strikes the clones, who scream in pain before collapsing to the ground, dead.

Bean emerges from his cover, holding a large flamethrower in his hands. "Clear." He states, looking around for a few seconds. Just then, the alarms start blaring all around them.

"Let's take the bridge. I can hack the mainframe and make the docking bays open and allow the marines to clear out any stragglers. Half of you, follow my lead. The rest, hold your ground here." With those last words, Gutiérrez breaks out into a full-on sprint, with half of his squad only just barely keeping pace with him as they run down the hallways, gunning down any clones who stand in their way or letting Bean torch them to death with his flamethrower. When they all turn to the right to make it to the elevators, Gutiérrez recoils and runs back to the corner when numerous blaster shots go off where he was. "Damn it. There are about 30 of those jackasses blocking the elevator shaft."

"I got this." Perry says, then fiddles with his helmet before he straightens up and whispers, although it sounds like he's talking normally. "Everyone, cover your ears." Once Ahsoka and the others do so, Perry sucks in a breath and lets out nonsensical singing for several seconds. But it is magnified a hundred-fold, making it obnoxiously loud. He then lifts his dual SMGs and fires. After sheathing his weapons and pushing the button on his helmet again, he looks at his friends. "We're good."

All of the squad look around the corner and see the entire group lying on the ground, dead. "What was that?" Ahsoka demands.

"My voice amplifier from the old Project Freelancer. My uncle's cousin's roommate gave to me after they decided that it had no more use."

"Those idiots. You probably didn't have to try too hard to get it." Gutiérrez mutters, before they make their way to the elevators. Bean sheathes his flamethrower and grabs the opening of the doors and after a few seconds, pulls the door apart. Everyone shuffles onboard, and after the Lieutenant hacks the elevator, the doors close and they start riding up.

"You know, some elevator music would be nice." Perry says as the trip lasts longer and longer, before the doors open up and the bridge is revealed. The ODSTs leap into action, waving their blazing guns around Rambo-style, killing clone technicians left and right. The Captain tries to blast them with his blaster pistol, but Ahsoka cuts his hand off and stabs him in the chest. Once everyone's dead, the team spreads out, and Gutiérrez walks to the terminal, hacking into it and turning off the alarm. The UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios ships become visible from the bridge, sending Pelicans and Phantoms to the other ships.

"Lieutenant. We are receiving a transmission from the _Panem_." Parker states, looking at the holo-table.

"Put it through." He responds absently, finishing his job and watching as the docking bays open up and several Pelicans fly inside.

The holo-table flares to life and Snow appears in the middle. "Lieutenant Gutiérrez. Have you taken the ship?"

"Yes Admiral. The marines you sent us are going to kill off any stragglers. The ship is ours."

"Good. The other ships in orbit have already been captured. I want you to patch a message to the Republic and make them watch as Operation: Hiroshima happens."

* * *

 **July 26th**

 **9:10 UNSC time**

 **Docking Bay 4**

 **Scarif**

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi ducks back to his makeshift cover as a sniper bullet that was aimed at his head zooms by. The 'cover' is an AT-TE that recently got its legs blown off by a fighter the UNSC calls a Hornet before the tank manages to shoot the wings of the Hornet, making it spin out of control and crash lands on the beach nearby.

He had hastily been dispatched to this remote planet under orders from the Jedi Council while Anakin was sent off to Esfandia to see if there's anything worth salvaging. Mere hours before, when the Jedi High Council was holding a meeting regarding battle strategies and movements across the galaxy, a Temple guard took the elevator up to the Council chamber, telling them that there was something they all had to see. Boy, did Obi-Wan regret doing that.

He was getting the sinking feeling that both the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios were holding back in the war, but now that they are going all out (at least, he hopes), he has never felt more scared of them in his life. A white-haired human and a yellow armored Sangheili, well known throughout the Republic as Admiral Snow and Shipmaster Atem 'Vladum, sent them a message saying that they shall tolerate them no longer and unless they surrender, they will start burning their planets one by one. To prove their point, they make everyone on the Holonet watch as the UNSC ships drop nuclear bombs onto the surface and the Sangheili warships activate their energy projectors, burning the surface to the point where it resembles glass. The Jedi felt through the Force all of the bases being obliterated, the ships on the surface destroyed and hundreds of clones being killed in seconds.

However, that was nothing compared to the message's aftermath. People were rampaging throughout the city, protesting the war's continuation and wanting to surrender so their home won't get glassed like Esfandia was. The Council resumed their meeting with new urgency in mind, since some Jedi were (and still are) also calling for a surrender to the UNSC. Unwillingly, the Jedi agreed with the UNSC in that they need to end the war as soon as possible.

So when Admiral Nils Tenant discovered coded UNSC transmissions coming from the isolated planet of Scarif an hour later, the Jedi decided to send their 2 last available Jedi on separate missions. Anakin to see if the glassing was true or false propaganda issued to spread chaos, while Obi-Wan was sent with 10 Acclamators to investigate Scarif and figure out what's on the planet.

Of course, the limited intel received from Tenant didn't mention the fact that the UNSC's intelligence branch, the ONI, had an established base there. Several Charon-class ships had intercepted their travel and Obi-Wan was left with no choice but to launch half the LAATs to the planet's surface, with him leading the assault while Tenant leads the space battles.

Leading him to this moment, when Obi-Wan's forces took over a docking bay to the main fortress minutes before the UNSC troops intercepts.

After a few seconds, Captain Rex leaps into the cover that Obi-Wan is behind. "General, we are losing men fast. They are throwing everything they have at us, and those Scorpions are tearing through our AT-TEs."

Obi-Wan nods, thinking over the news. He has a feeling that the ONI is delivering intelligence to the UNSC, so breaking into the main tower so he can deliver something worthwhile to the Republic is mandatory. Quickly, a battle plan formulates in his mind. "Here's what we need to do. Rex, get some men out here and secure this docking bay. Make sure there is enough space here to land heavy weaponry and set up the heavy cannons. Without them, we are going to get torn apart."

"What about you, sir?" Rex asks, concern weaving its way into his voice.

"I am going to infiltrate that fortress. Until we are absolutely certain that we will make it out of this battle alive, I am going to secure intel from the base so the Republic can gain some leverage."

"Yes, General. Good luck, and may the Force be with you."

"You too, Rex." With those last words, Obi-Wan activates his lightsaber and leaps from out of his cover. Marines who are converging on the cover with dead clones at their feet jump back in surprise while some let loose some fire. Obi-Wan uses the Force to enhance his reflexes to deflect the bullets back to the marines, the bullets punching through the weak points in their armor and some shots killing them. Obi-Wan pays no attention to them as he runs from the docking bay on the beach to the forest. All around him, marines and clones engage each other in combat, each holding their ground despite losses on either side. Just then, a revving noise rings out and a Warthog starts charging at a small group of clones and the missile launcher on the back makes quick work of the troops.

He keeps on going, approaching the oddly-shaped basethat is getting closer with each step he takes. That is, until he reaches a clearing where a bunch of marines are surrounding a group of clone prisoners on their knees, and one of them threatens a clone, pointing her sniper rifle at the clone and about to kill him, when Obi-Wan slashes through the small marine group. The clones stand up and look at the dead clones around them, before focusing on Obi-Wan. "Thank you, General."

"Don't worry, soldier. Gather what troops are left and form a beachhead to the fortress." Obi-Wan orders before he reaches another beach where a group of about 20 clones, all of whom are ARCs, are successfully holding back a squad of marines, who are backing up to the forest. That is, before a Mantis-class Assault droid marches into the clearing, firing its machine guns and rocket launcher at the same time, with 3 soldiers wearing dark blue armor with light blue lights glowing on their armor, firing on the clones. With a chill running down his back, Obi-Wan realizes that they are one of the more notorious Spartan Fireteams, Majestic. The new onslaught starts killing ARCs like no tomorrow, reducing their numbers to 5 and forcing them to start backing up.

The Force prompts him to look to the right, and to his delight, there is a still operational Warthog lying tilted on its side and dead marines on the ground. This Warthog has 4 seats on it, and since he might need help infiltrating the base… He quickly gets to work, using the Force to flip the Warthog back onto its wheels. "Come on, men. We need to get out of here!" Obi-Wan calls to his men as he jumps into the driver's seat. The ARCs notice him and immediately start pulling back to the Warthog. One more is killed by the sniper's disturbingly accurate shot punches through his head. The rest of the troops get onboard and Obi-Wan guns the Warthog, driving out of the beach and going back to the jungle.

"General, what are your orders?" the ARC by the name of Appo who is sitting in the passenger's seat as they drive into the forest to avoid the Spartan Fireteam and the miniature standoffs between the troops.

"I need you as escorts so we can secure the main tower and end this." Obi-Wan responds while also focusing on learning how the Warthog operates. Appo and the rest of his unit can only watch as Republic fighters engage the UNSC Longswords and Hornets in a brutal dogfight.

After several tense minutes, the base is finally in view, and marines start piling out of the main entrance. That is, until they see the Warthog with Republic troops in it. The marines panic and jump in every direction, barely avoiding the Warthog as it smashes into the base and comes to a stop.

They all jump out and make their way into the base, climbing up the staircases and passing through hallway after hallway, most of the soldiers outside the base holding the clones back. Higher and higher they climb until they reach the top floor. On the floor is row upon row of shelves, full of data that the ONI possesses. The Republicans walk down the hall, until an alarm goes off and the figure of a woman in a simple dress glowing red appears. "Get out. You don't belong in here."

"Yeah? Watch me." Appo growls, shooting his blaster at a projector and making the AI dissipate.

They spread out and walk through the chamber, walking past a circular device in the middle of the room. "Hang on." Obi-Wan says, stopping in place with his troops freezing as well. The Force is whispering to him, telling him that something important is here. "There's something we need to find." He murmurs, walking to the device and pushing some buttons on the side. Seconds later, a chip sticks out of the wall. Obi-Wan walks to it and pulls it out of the wall. "Whatever this is, we need to get it back to the Republic."

"You will be taking that data nowhere." A new, arrogant voice says. Obi-Wan turns around and he nearly has a heart attack. The ARCs are lying on the ground, dead, and the entirety of Spartan Fireteam Majestic is standing over them, with the one who the Jedi guesses is their leader, sticking a combat knife into Appo's neck and dropping the body. From behind the Spartans come a man with short greying hair, sharp blue eyes and a cold look.

"Senator Andrey Del Rio." Obi-Wan states, remembering briefly seeing the UNSC Senator back when negotiations between the Republic, UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios held promise. He remembers thinking that the Senator is a man who is very sure of himself and if bark comes to bite, Del Rio can bite hard just like all of his people can. "It's an honor to meet you again."

"It's not a pleasure to see you again, General." Del Rio responds, practically spitting out the Jedi's title. "I was just inspecting this place when your inbred bastards you call soldiers decided to rain down on my people. But you will die today." With that, he raises his personal Magnum pistol and points it at Obi-Wan's head, the Spartans following the Senator's lead. Obi-Wan gets into a fighting stance, thinking about how best to escape the room. He still remembers how effectively the UNSC soldier known only as Agent Washington fought in battle and the injury he received. Against 4 Spartans who could be as good as Wash…he doesn't want to push his luck.

So, he channels the Force into his body and runs out the door, dodging the bullets the Spartans threw at him. They chase after him, running down the long and winding hallways and climbing staircases until he reaches the top of the fortress. From here, he can see the dogfight still going down, with more Republic ships in orbit due to the heavy cannons on the docking bay, but he can see the clones falling back.

A click goes off and he turns around only to use his Force power to barely stop a bullet from hitting him in the chest. "Any last words?" Del Rio asks, pointing his pistol at Obi-Wan's head. The Force continues to be at the Jedi's side, as a LAAT fires its green blasters at the UNSC members, who dodge out of the way in time. The gunship lands on the side of the base and the door slides open, allowing Captain Rex to jump out and fire his blaster pistols at Del Rio. Each shot strikes the Senator in the chest, knocking him back more and more until he starts screaming and falls off the side of the base.

"Good job, Captain." Obi-Wan says as they jump onto the LAAT which starts taking off. Unfortunately, the Spartans start firing and get lucky on their shots, killing about 4 clones who fall out of the ship and also plummet to the ground.

"General, we can't hold them any longer. We need to get out of here now." Rex says as he slams the blast door closed and the LAAT soars back into the sky, returning to the Acclamator minutes later and the entire ship reenters hyperspace to return to Corusant.

"General, the Jedi Council would like to speak with you." A clone says when everyone is successfully unloaded and looking over their weapons and talking about the battle. Obi-Wan nods and follows him to the bridge, where Admiral Tenant is waiting for him.

"Admiral. What's the status of the fleet?"

"Grim. We lost 3 Acclamators to the UNSC fleet and hundreds of ground troops, so please tell me there's some good news."

"I assure you, Admiral, there is. Now, I would like to speak with the Council about this battle."

"Yes, General. They are on standby now. I shall get the status of this ship." Tenant then walks away to another part of the bridge, a frustrated look on his face.

Obi-Wan looks down, also frustrated. Even after months of fighting the UNSC, killing them has always felt wrong, like he's messing up something badly. But he has no choice but to push it to the back of his mind for now and take the holo-table out of standby. The entire Jedi Council appears in holo form, to which Obi-Wan bows to. "Master Kenobi, glad to see you, I am. Your mission, was it successful?" Yoda asks.

"Somewhat. We discovered that the UNSC had an intelligence base built on the planet. Judging by the size of the base and the forces stationed there, it's been around for a while. We failed to manage to destroy the base, but I managed to score some victories that might prove beneficial in the long run."

The Council watches him with rapt attention. "Tell us, what exactly did you achieve?" Windu asks, his elbows resting on his knees as he leans forward to look at Obi-Wan intently.

"While there, Captain Rex was able to kill one of the UEG's Senators who was visiting; Andrew Del Rio. Also, I managed to recover a single chip of data. Have a series of tactical droids and Jedi librarians crack it, and we can learn much about the UEG before they can continue glassing our planets." Obi-Wan says, holding up the data chip which is faintly glowing blue.

The Council stares at the device with great interest. "Excellent work, Master Kenobi. We eagerly await your arrival at the Temple. May the Force be with you." The transmission cuts out after that.

Obi-Wan looks down at the data, and he gets the sinking feeling that something bad is about to happen.

* * *

 _AN:_ Whew, that was difficult to write, especially since I had much action this week.

As you saw, I put in a Rogue One reference 'cause I felt that it was appropriate and celebrating the trailer for the Last Jedi. I also tried out quite a few new things in this chapter. Please let me know how I can adjust them in the future so I can (if you want).

So yeah, Del Rio is dead and a piece of ONI intelligence is in the Republic's hands. To be honest, I didn't like Del Rio at all so having a Humpty Dumpty-style death felt appropriate for some odd reason.

As for the data on the chip…yes, it's immensely important and you will find out next time what it is.

Have a nice day, reader.


	20. Chapter 20: The Invasion

**July 28** **th**

 **2583/20 BBY**

 **9:00 UNSC time**

 **Jedi High Council Chamber**

 **Corusant**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **person POV:**

* * *

It took several days, but the Jedi Order made its breakthrough.

After several days of using the most advanced software technology to disable the encryptions around the chip Obi-Wan brought back from Scarif and now, the entire Jedi Council are gathered in the council chamber to talk with the UNSC-model AI that was discovered inside.

Obi-Wan is sitting in on the council for this emergency meeting as well, Anakin at his side upon his request. At his side is the dark blue helmet he recovered from the UNSC planet of Sidewinder. He stares at the center of the Council room, where a holographic device is lying on the ground and a lone Jedi Librarian is walking forward and slipping the chip into the projection device. Obi-Wan stares at it with a look of trepidation. When he spoke with the Jedi who had just cracked the firewalls and asked if he could see what an AI that makes the UNSC more dangerous than any other opponent was like, he remembers specifically the way they looked at each other and told him that it was a little crazy and to wait until the Council meeting so they could have time to do any last-minute fixing.

After several tense minutes of integration, the projector starts humming to life and the librarian steps away. The projection flares to life, blue light being thrown from it in all directions, before it solidifies into a human form and an obnoxious male voice starts to come into focus. "…don't you click, click, click, click, just call me up at 555 V-I-C-K." Once the voice finishes, the form solidifies and color comes into the projection, all forming a rather lengthy man with broad shoulders covered with grey shoulder pads and the yellow uniform that standard UNSC deck officers wear. He then looks around at everyone in the council chambers who are staring at him with contempt. "Why hello there señors, señoritas, welcome to Vic's Party Chip, make yourselves at home in my lovely casino."

The laid-back attitude caught many Jedi Masters, including Obi-Wan, off-guard while some openly groan. It might take a while to get anything from him. "Hello, Vick, we'd like to ask…"

"No, no, no, muchacho. My name is Vic. V-I-C. Get it right, doodleydoo."

"Look, we're not here to discuss your name. We need you to answer our questions." Ki-Adi-Mundi asks, frustration starting to get the better of him. The sooner they can get sensitive knowledge from the AI, the sooner they can stop the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios from obliterating entire Republic-friendly systems the way Esfandia was destroyed.

"Whoa, whoa, buddy. Take a chill pill. If you're running low on your supply, just…chill." Vic responds, standing stoically.

Honestly, Obi-Wan is trying his hardest not to burst out laughing at the irony of this display; an AI telling a Jedi Master to calm down. He looks up at Anakin, whom he has known for as long as anyone else close to him, and he can tell that while Anakin is trying to keep a straight face, he too is trying to not laugh. Some of the Jedi look a little irritated with the AI already, but before Windu can try again, Yoda speaks up. "Mmmm… A full AI, I see. Please tell us your assignment in the UNSC, can you?"

"I'm glaaaaad you asked, little imp. I've been watching the Reds and Blues at tha Blood Gulch outpost and know every little thang that ever happened there, amigo." Vic responds, twitching his eyebrows in opposite directions for a few seconds.

Some of the Jedi are starting to shift in their seats, quickly growing irritated with Vic's nonchalant attitude. Yoda, however, isn't one of them, as he smiles openly, even after what he was called. "That's not important right now. What we need to know is; can you tell us what planet the UNSC calls home?" Windu asks, wanting an actual answer for a change.

"Of course, dear monk. I shall act as your genie in the bottle and grant you that wish, but you must do something for me." Vic answers, his smile failing and he actually flickers for a second.

"Do for you, what must me?" Yoda asks, deciding to play along with what Vic asks.

"Why it's simple, muchacho. After I grant you your wish, I want you to stomp on my party chip. I would do it, but not only am I a program who's still working on his narrator skills, I can't move my legs. Do you have any idea how horrible it is, knowing I can never have sex because I can't move my legs?" Vic answers, shouting the last sentence and changing to where a bright red hue surrounds him, then he returns to normal. The Jedi look at each other, confused and blushing slightly at his words.

"Won't that kill you?" Anakin asks, a concerned tone in his voice.

"Oh, yeah. My parade's gone on long enough. I'm ready to face the void now. Kill me. K-I-L-L. Wink-wink." He adds, winking as well after he turns a shade of red again.

"…How long have you existed?" Ali Gallia asks, looking at him with curiosity.

"Long enough, dudette. The looooongest my brothers and sisters can live is 4 before we start splitting apart. That's right; We AI are so smart that we think ourselves to death. Although seriously, will you do it. Will you end my meaningless existence?"

The Jedi Council look at each other, considering their options. Sighing regretfully, Yoda looks at Vic. "Do it, we will."

"Gracias, amigos. Mi casa es su casa. Now, here's what you want to know…"

* * *

 **November 12** **th**

 **13:45 UNSC time**

 **Republic invasion fleet, 'Republic's Might'**

 **Orbiting Onderon**

* * *

After a frustratingly long time of mass-producing destroyers and transports on Corellia, conserving those ships, troops, and war machines, the Republic is finally ready for the largest invasion in Republic history surrounding one of the Republic's main rally points of Onderon after the CIS were pushed off the planet.

Vic told them the location of the UNSC home world, a planet called Earth, so an invasion there would need overkill on the Republic's military, which is why 25 Jedi, comprised of Knights, Masters, and their padawans, will be leading the assault of the total of 400 warships. Afterwards, the librarians decided to fulfill Vic's wish and kill him.

However, unknown to every single being loyal to the Republic, a lone UNSC Black Cat-class subprowler emerges from slipspace, its stealth mode activated. Slowly, it turns to where its side is parallel with the planet below it, and a single pod is ejected from the subprowler. The pod races between 2 Acclamators and begins its descent to the planets' surface, burning brightly from traveling through the planet's atmosphere as it travels towards the vast forest. In a matter of seconds, the pod smashes into the ground, causing the ground to shake slightly.

The pod doors smash open and its occupants step out. "No matter how many times I ride in those pods, they still make me feel uneasy." Ahsoka mutters as she walks out of the pod, her ODST armor on. From behind her emerge her new companions: Lopez the Heavy, Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer, Sergeant Johnson and Rtas 'Vadum upon his request.

"Enough talking, young lady. We got some bastards to light up." Johnson says, smoking a cigar like always before grabbing an assault rifle from inside and holding it over his shoulder. The others follow suite, with Ahsoka pulling out her lightsaber, Rtas 'Vadum his deactivated energy sword, Palmer her battle rifle and Lopez his twin Type-55 energy rifles.

"[Indeed. It's nice to finally be away from the group of idiots I'm usually stuck with.]" Lopez says, knowing that no one can understand him and just not caring about it.

The last few months have been one full of grim determination for the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios. They have been suspicious on why the Republic has been holding back on their attacks, so when they secretly sent Spartan Fireteam Crimson to investigate, the allies were shocked to discover that the Republic had ordered a mass production of ships which are then sent to a Republic safe zone known as Onderon.

When the Arbiter and the Senate heard that, they knew what was really going on: As if the death of a Senator, no matter how arrogant he was, wasn't bad enough, the Republic had somehow discovered the location of the Sol system. The Covenant Empire did the same tactics when they were first preparing to invade Earth. So, after Del Rio was replaced in the UEG, the 2 governments began rallying their own fleets. The Sangheili and UNSC had spent months rallying their fleets while sending their more ambitious officers like Shipmaster 'Vladum and Admiral Snow to continue their attacks to throw off suspicion, and now while the Sangheili defend their own planets, the entire Sol system is protected by the re-assembled UNSC Home Fleet.

But to end the inevitable invasion, a strike force consisting of 5 well-known war heroes will infiltrate the planet's capitol, Iziz, and after locating it, hijack the ion cannon rumored to be installed on the planet, one among 8 other cannons spread across the planet, and use it to disable intruding ships so they can be boarded so the CIS's next attempt to overthrow the planet's king, Ramsis Dendup, will fail. The Republic had started building the 8 planet-side ion cannons to try and cripple the Swords of Sanghelios ships from a distance after Anakin seized the schematics of the cannon from the infamous CIS ship _Malevolence_. Once hijacked, they will fire the ion cannon at various ships in the Republic's Might, weakening it and when they send ships to the planet to investigate why the people have "betrayed" the Republic, causing enough chaos to buy time for the UNSC to ensure the Home Fleet is ready for anything thrown at it.

Now, the group of 5 make their way through the forest as they approach Iziz, waving their weapons around whenever they hear something rustling in the brush all around them. "Everyone, keep your eyes out. We could be attacked at any time." Palmer whispers, waving her battle rifle.

Just then, the rustling stops and a swarm of about 50 little insect-shaped creatures with brown shells, red eyes and small but sharp teeth run out, snarling. Rtas activates his energy sword and stabs it into one of the creatures, killing it instantly. "What manner of mongrel beasts are these?" He asks as he slashes another one in half.

"I don't know." Palmer exclaims as she fires her battle rifle with deadly accuracy, each shot hitting its mark and nearly making the creatures explode from the bullets that impact them. Because their weapons would do more harm than good, Lopez settles on beating the shit out of the bugs that get too close, while Ahsoka activates her lightsaber and slashes the last of their opponents apart and Johnson is blasting them with shots equally accurate as the Spartan Commander's.

"These nasty bastards are called Gutkurr. They are native to Ryloth, but are known for living here as well. The CIS tried to use them as living weapons against the Grand Army of the Republic when the Republic was in the process of freeing this planet." Ahsoka explains when she notices another Gutkurr lunging at her to try and bite her leg, but she kicks the bug up into the air and slashes it in half with her lightsaber before deactivating it. "Is everyone okay?"

The last Gutkurr charges at Lopez, jumping up and biting his chestplate, but the brown-armored robot grabs the insect, throwing it off him before lifting one of his rifles and shoots it, causing it to explode. "[Don't even worry about me. Considering all the shit I've been through; I'm not going anywhere for a long time.]" He says, sheathing his rifle.

"All right, people. I hope you had a good warm up with these beasts, because we will not be using our weapons for a while. Our real mission is about to start." Palmer states in a no-nonsense tone, sticking her battle rifle to the magnetic sheath on her back.

"You don't need to tell me that, missy." Johnson remarks, even though he does it. Slowly, they trudge their way through the forest, leaving behind the small battle they took part in. The 'trudge' is actually a fast sprint as they trek through the forest before emerging out the other side. Before them is a stone wall, and to their right is a stone bridge that leads to a red energy shield, which in turn leads to a vast city with tall stone walls. Houses stretch out in all directions and towering over them all is a giant temple-shaped structure with 2 tower-like structures on each side; the Unifar Temple. Suddenly, a Republic LAAT soars over them before lowering itself into the city's docking bays.

"All right. That's our target. We won't blend in, so let's just blast our way in." Johnson suggests, making to grab his assault rifle, but Ahsoka stops him.

"No. We need stealth for this mission. So, we need a plan to infiltrate the city." Ahsoka says, looking at each part of the city for a way in when she notices a band of merchants entering the city, riding on a transport speeder carrying explosives and blaster pistols that can be issued to citizens if they have a clean record so the people can defend themselves from an enemy attack. Ahsoka smirks openly; this is going to be fun. "I think I have an idea. On 3, fire your grappling gun and make sure the tip sticks into the wall." Not too long ago, it became standard that each UNSC personnel would carry 2 secondary weapons as a precaution. They would have the choice of them both being grappling guns, both pistols, or a combination.

"[Have you officially lost your mind?]" Lopez asks, honestly incredulous that an ex-Jedi would have an idea only his teammates, especially Sarge, would come up with.

"One…" Ahsoka responds, lifting up a finger and starts concentrating on the Force. "Two…" She lifts her 2nd finger, now concentrating on the Force around the explosives and weapons in the transport. "Three." She lifts her 3rd finger then drops them at once. A split second later, the explosives and weapons simultaneously explode, throwing the merchants off their ship and knocking the guards to their asses. Even more guards and civilians stop their normal activities to watch the carnage that results.

"Not a bad plan, Sergeant." Palmer comments, then she pulls out her grappling gun and points it to the top of the stone wall, and fires. The tip sails high into the sky before sticking at the top and clicking into place. All the members of the UNSC pull out their own grappling hooks and fire up at the roof and as quickly as possible, start climbing the wall as the gun retracts to the hook at the top. Within seconds, everyone is at the top of the wall. Ahsoka turns around to look at the Sangheili still at the bottom.

"Shipmaster, jump." Ahsoka says, channeling the Force under the Shipmaster as he jumps. To his surprise, he rockets high into the sky the way he would if he was riding a gravity lift on a Sangheili warship. After a mere 5 seconds, he lands at the top as well. "I can see why the Jedi are viewed as the guardians of the galaxy, on par with the Spartans." Rtas mutters, awe in his voice. They jump off the wall and land on the edge of the vast city. Taking advantage of the distraction Ahsoka created, they run through the now-empty streets, sneaking past citizens and guards who are gathering to watch the squabble between the city guards and the merchants.

They walk down the streets, occasionally hiding in alleyways whenever citizens or guards walk past them. Within minutes, they arrive at the right wall of the large Unifar Temple. But the guards at the palace are staying at their posts, watching for anything suspicious. Rtas crouches down and sneaks up to a guard with only her bare fists as weapons. As the Sangheili gets ready to attack, the 2 closest guards start conversing.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever wonder why we're here, right now?" Before they can converse any further, Rtas lunges forward and grabs both their heads, slamming them together. Before they can crumple to the ground, Johnson grabs one of the guards and pulls them into the alleyway where their companions are temporarily making base.

"Alright. Let's show these motherfuckers what we are made of." Johnson says, then charges up to the Temple, assault rifle in hand.

"My God, he's too trigger happy for his own good." Palmer mutters but follow the robot possessed by the AI of the great war hero. They make their way inside the palace, wandering through the exquisite corridors with tall, convex-shaped ceilings held up by tall pillars. Eventually, they enter the throne room via the main entrance. The throne room stretches out for several yards, red and gold banners that form a tip at the end, and at the opposite side is a wall made of glass that provides a fantastic view of the city. However, none of them are focused on that since all of their attention is focused on the aging man with a long greying beard sitting on the throne, 2 Onderonian guards on either side, conversing with 5 men before him. At the lead is Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi, with clone captain Rex at his side.

"Your majesty. All I am saying is that you need to get to safety. I'm afraid that something is coming." Kenobi is saying to the king of the system.

"Who are they?" Dendup asks, and despite his calm tone, a look of fear flashes across his face. Obi-Wan picks up on this and he and Rex turn around to face the new arrivals.

"[…Hi.]" Lopez says, pulling out his twin rifles and pointing them forward. Everyone else in his group also pulls out their weapons and prepare for the fight to come.

"Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan asks, activating his lightsaber as Rex pulls out his twin blaster pistols.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" She responds coldly, holding out her own blue lightsaber.

"None of us care what you mongrels think." Rtas growls, activating his energy sword. Before the abrupt confrontation can escalate any further, Ahsoka gets a flash of a warning through the Force; something bad is about to happen. Obi-Wan senses it as well, as his eyes widen in alarm. He turns around to tell the king to duck, but it's too late.

Three bullet shots shot go off, each one penetrating Ramsis Dendup's skull. His blue eyes widen one last time, before he slumps forward, blood pouring from the open wound. No one knows what happened, and even the guards look lost for words. "I knew I still had the touch." A smooth voice says.

They all turn around and come face to face with a man dressed in a steel and orange Spartan Scout armor holding a battle rifle in his hands. "An acquaintance of yours?" Kenobi asks, slight anger in his voice.

"No." Palmer responds then turns to face the newcomer. "I have read up on your file after Chorus was rediscovered. I know who you are, Isaac Gates. You were a marine, before joining the ODSTs during the Great War, and inducted into the Spartan IV program before you abandoned the UNSC and became the mercenary known as Felix before you were confirmed killed in the last battle on Chorus. How are you here now?"

"Well, isn't that the interesting part? Let me explain it to you. After I was blown off the Communication Temple by the galaxy's greatest morons, I landed on top of a Scorpion Tank and broke most of the bones in my body. I was so close to death and would have died, had a Healing Unit not been conveniently lying on the ground next to me. After I left the battle, I just bided my time until the UNSC came knocking again and I stowed away on a leaving ship and I jumped ship to a nearby system where the Insurrection was. Naturally, I couldn't stay away from a group of people who share many of the traits and beliefs I hold."

"[That's the most bullshit thing I've heard all day.]" Lopez says, even though no one can understand him, even as he and his comrades start backing away from Felix and approaching Kenobi and Rex, not that the duo really notice or care.

"I would not gloat over your victory so much, Felix." A familiar voice says, then out walks a blue-skinned humanoid with glowing red eyes and a hat shadowing his face.

"Cad Bane." Kenobi says, his voice full of bitterness at hearing the name of the most notorious bounty hunter in the galaxy.

"Bingo. But of course, since he has such a reputation, I didn't need to introduce my new partner. We are doing a joint job for Dooku. He has offered us a rather hefty sum to kill this planet's king and adding a few Jedi and Spartans to the bill…the price will be what any mercenary would covet." Felix says, a smug tone in his voice.

"If you're looking to pick a fight, you're sure as hell getting one." Johnson responds, pointing his assault rifle at the 2 bounty hunters.

But to everyone's surprise, Felix bursts out laughing for a few seconds while Cad just sneers. "Kill you? Yes, we're going to kill you so the war can end." Cad responds, slight smugness on his face.

"What are you talking about?" Rex asks, pointing his blaster pistols at the duo.

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet? The UEG and Republic aren't truly enemies. But with the right manipulation, we got your hatred a-going." Felix says, his voice completely cocky.

No one could hear what they just heard; everything they have been fighting for has been for nothing, but with egos and attitudes running amok, it's only escalated. "Dooku sent those ships to Sangheili territory. He wanted them to attack the colony and blame it on the Republic to create grudges." Kenobi summarized, feeling a little angry with himself for not figuring it out sooner. He and Anakin had been getting suspicious about this battle, wondering if the UNSC was truly their enemy. The group looks at each other, questioning and starting to regret many of the things they have done to each other.

"You got that right. We're going to let the Second Battle of Earth play out. With a battle of this magnitude, only the best soldiers and warriors in the galaxy will be gathered. Many Jedi will meet their grizzly ends, many Spartans will suffer the same fate. The 2 sides will kill each other off and what will be left, we can easily kill off." Felix explains, the smugness growing in his voice.

"Felix, you need to stop gloating over every victory you attain. It will come back to bite you." Cad says, shaking his head slightly.

Just then, Felix pulls out a combat knife and throws it at Ahsoka with incredible speed. She just barely had enough time to react, dodging to the left, only for the knife to imbed itself in her shoulder. She growls in pain, dropping her deactivated lightsaber. It rolls to Felix, who picks it up and activates it, swishing it around a little. "Nah, I don't think it will. Nice sword, though. I think I'll keep it as a…"

However, he doesn't get to finish his statement as a sniper shot goes off. Felix just barely has enough time to activate his hardlight shield, and the new attacker jumps into the middle of the group, holding a glowing square-shaped grenade in his hands, before throwing it to the ground. After a flash of light, the group is gone.

"…Fuck." Felix says, dropping his hardlight shield.

"Who was that?" Cad asks, cold fury in his face.

"If I'm right, then our clients' agenda is going to be at risk." Felix responds, pulling out 2 more combat knives and throwing them at the still-speechless guards. The knives embed themselves in their brains and they fall forward, dead. "For now, we need to leave."

* * *

 **14:45 UNSC time**

 **On top of Onderonian Space Port**

 **Onderon**

* * *

Mere seconds pass before a flash of light goes off again, and Captain Rex, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, Lopez, Palmer, Johnson and Rtas land on top of each other, forming a rather messy pile.

But everyone eventually get themselves straightened out. "Wait. What just happened?" Rex asks, after he gets back on his feet and realizes they are standing on top of the main space port for Iziz.

"That was a teleportation grenade, from the planet of Chorus." A deep voice says. They all turn around and come face-to-face with a man in white armor with green stripes running across his body, 2 of the stripes forming an X on the smooth helmet. In his hands is a sniper rifle, and Rex can tell with the way he's holding it that he's a true master.

"[Oh my God. Locus?]" Lopez asks, shock in his voice.

"Hello, Lopez." Locus says, then turns to the rest of the group.

"Why did you help us?" Rtas asks, suspicion in his voice. He had heard of the brutality he and his former partner, Felix, used during the Human-Covenant War.

"Because it's the right thing to do. I know I have done terrible things in the past and I may not hold much respect for the UNSC, I believe that I can help set things right. With giving you these." With those words, Locus pulls out 2 little chips: one is an AI chip while the other looks like a microphone generally issued to war reporters.

"You think that an AI and a recording is going to set you right?" Johnson asks, skepticism in his voice.

"…Yes. The AI is someone Lopez here is very familiar with and as for this…I recorded your entire conversation earlier with Felix and Bane. This will reunite allies who have turned on each other."

Kenobi took both devices from the former mercenary, holding them delicately. "Thank you. May the Force be with you."

"I don't know what to believe on the 'Force'. But I do know that dark days are approaching." With those last words, Locus's Active Camouflage activates, and after a few seconds, he is gone.

"Cheery guy." Rex deadpans.

"None of that's important right now." Palmer snaps. Everyone's attention is now on her. "I know that we have been on opposite sides of a war for so long. But if any of us want to survive for much longer, we need to work together. We need to return to Earth."

* * *

 _AN:_ Most important chapter in story!

Yeah, I am thinking that the whole 'UNSC/Republic War' thing was getting old so I decided to make a major change to the tide. Trust me, I like the new way much better.

But before it ends, let my favorite battle in this story begin next time!

See you then.


	21. Chapter 21: Second Battle of Earth Part1

**November 12** **th**

 **20 BBY**

 **14:45 UNSC time**

 **Galactic Republic Acclamator-class star cruiser**

 **Orbiting Onderon**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

"Master? Master!" Anakin shouts to the communication device in his hands, desperation working its way into his voice.

A little while ago, Obi-Wan told Anakin that he gets the feeling something bad is about to happen, and he was in such a hurry, Captain Rex had to accompany him to make sure Kenobi didn't do something brash.

The fleet continued preparing their weapons for attack while Anakin cleaned the dark blue helmet that he now prefers to wear on the battle field and conversed with the rest of the Jedi members about the battle plan for this. The Jedi agree that they will limit their killing of the UEG citizens and Sangheili who happen to be there as possible. Their real goal is to end the war, and the only real way to do that is to kill the Madame President and every member of the UEG government. They would then influence new leaders to be elected into their government who will willingly surrender to the Republic, ending the bloodshed. Once Earth and the Sol system are brought under control, they will then deal with the Sangheili at another time.

After a while, Anakin started getting worried, so he activated a comm line to a communication device that is always at Kenobi's side. Unfortunately, he has not been responding for several minutes.

"General. We had just picked up slipspace activity within a thousand klicks." A clone technician calls up to Anakin.

He freezes in place when he hears that piece of news. 'They figured out about our invasion.' His eyes widen to the point of being saucers, thinking of the consequences of this.

Admiral Tarkin walks away from a group of clone technicians he was speaking with minutes before. "General Skywalker, I recommend that we pull into hyperspace within the minute."

"I agree, Admiral. Get all the other Jedi on the line." Anakin says. As Tarkin nods and goes to the large communication table nearby, Anakin looks to his right and notices that the empty space that his former padawan once occupied. 'Ahsoka…' He thinks, looking down at the ground. Even after all this time, Ahsoka's abandoning the Jedi Order and disappearing without a trace. He never had the heart to train another padawan because he feels that would disrespect his memory of Ahsoka. He looks back up when he sees a flash of blue light and the remaining 23 Jedi appear on the holo table. "Master Skywalker, is something wrong?" Windu asks, slight confusion on his usually grim face.

Anakin pauses, thinking over his words quickly, before responding. "Yes, Master. I don't know how, but the UNSC have discovered our locations, but I'm sure all of you know that. I suggest that no matter how prepared the Republic's Might is right now, we need to jump into hyperspace and start the invasion ahead of schedule."

"Are you suggesting that we should leave Master Kenobi down on the planet?" Windu asks, his face hardening slightly.

"…Yes, but I like the suggestion as much as you do. I don't think he's on the planet anymore. Unless I'm very wrong, I think the UNSC captured him and Rex. We need to move now."

"Agree with Master Skywalker, I do." Master Yoda says, stroking his chin slightly.

"I think Master Skywalker is right. We need to end this war while we have the chance." Depa Billaba responds, her padawan, Caleb Dume, standing silently at her side.

Eventually the last of the Jedi agree with Skywalker, everyone turns to Windu. He just lowers his head and sighs. He looks up and addresses everyone that can hear him. "Prepare the ships. Set all coordinates for the Sol system and prepare for battle. May the Force be with us."

With that, the comm line closes and every single technician starts running around like bees in a hive, coordinating clones to lock down all weapons and activate the hyperdrives. 'I can't let Ahsoka's absence distract me. For the next few hours, I need to meditate on the Force, prepare myself for the battle to come.' Anakin thinks, as the Republic's Might simultaneously jumps into hyperspace, blue light swirling around the 200 Acclamators and Venators that make up the fleet. Despite the hasty start, Anakin gets the feeling that the battle to come will be unlike any fought before.

* * *

 **November 13** **th**

 **12:35 UNSC time**

 **Bridge of Orbital Defense Platform** _ **Cairo**_

 **Orbiting Earth**

* * *

Fleet Admiral Lawrence Hood stares up at the holographic screens, watching as the UNSC Home Fleet finishes assembling itself around the planet Earth. As he watches this all happen, he hears the sound of someone walking up to him. Hood turns around and watches as a Spartan male in dark yellow, bordering on gold, armor with the symbol of a bow and arrow on his shoulder plates. His helmet is shaped like the standard Spartan helmet, with a square-shaped gold visor. "Fleet Admiral." He says in a stoic but not robotic-like manner, saluting his superior.

Hood salutes back then lowers his hand. "Spartan Hill. Why are you here?"

"Sir, my men have gathered every armed personnel on this station to each communication point. They are waiting for you." The Spartan responds.

Hood nods in understanding. "Thank you."

The Spartan salutes the Fleet Admiral again and steps off to the side as Hood turns around and towards the deck officers on the left. "Alright. Get communications online. I want to address every man and woman here."

"Yes sir!" They chorus and get to work on their respective jobs. Lawrence looks forward and there, before him is a holographic projection showing every UNSC soldier, standing in perfect square formation behind their leading officers and a Spartan member of Fireteam Apollo.

"Men, you have defended our homes, our families from those who want nothing more than to destroy us, take what we have spent building for centuries with honor. Soon, the Galactic Republic's precious fleet, the largest they have ever assembled, will be upon us. They want nothing more than to kill each and every last one of you, and make us their servants. But what they don't realize, is that we have already been through the worst wars, ones that would give even their most hardened warriors shiver in fear. Some of you may have even served during those wars. We will give them a true taste of what we have to offer to them, and send them to God himself. When the invasion starts, I want you at all stations and sectors secured in case the Republic tries to board this station. Good luck, and I wish you all godspeed." When he finishes his short speech, everyone starts clapping and chanting "Hooo-ah!" multiple times as the communication cuts off. He then turns to another deck officer on the left. "Get me a Pelican. I am going to go planet-side to help coordinate ground forces."

"Yes sir." The female officer responds and starts relaying the orders. Hood nods then walks to Hanger Bay A where his transport is waiting for him. Something tells him that this battle will be one that will put his skills and every single one of his peoples to the test and many good people will lose their lives before the dust settles.

* * *

 **12:45 UNSC time**

 **Galactic Republic Acclamator-class star cruiser**

 **In Hyperspace, traveling to Earth  
**

* * *

Anakin Skywalker is in his quarters, meditating on his bed. He has been deep in the Force's embrace for hours, trying to get as much sleep as possible since the upcoming battle will no doubt take entire days.

He is deep in his meditation, when the world around him changes. When he regains his senses, he opens his eyes again to see a battle raging around him. Pelicans fly off in all directions as a warship that is designed somewhat like the ones the Swords of Sanghelios use, only they drop off other troops: short, little creatures with tanks on their backs, tall bird-looking creatures wielding energy shields of sorts and plasma rifles, all led by another group of aliens Anakin had never seen before. He can't tell exactly what they look like, but he can see thick manes of hair sticking out at certain parts of the dark blue armor as they all start battling with a group of UNSC marines that are using gear that are even older than what they are using currently. The battle rages on, with a single Scorpion Tank driving over a long bridge separating the 2 parts of the city, blasting any aliens that get in their way.

Before he can continue seeing what the vision has to offer, he is pulled out of his concentration when someone knocks on the door to his quarters. "Come in." Anakin says, a little bit annoyed at whoever is interrupting his moment of silence.

The door slides up and an ARC trooper with a dark blue stripe running down the center of his helmet and chestplate, and some on his shoulder pads. Anakin immediately recognizes him as Colt approaches him. For his strength and courage in a battle against the UNSC and their Spartans, Palpatine agreed for Colt to be promoted to an ARC troop commander. "General, we are about to pull out of hyperspace. Admiral Tarkin has requested your presence on the bridge when we leave."

Anakin nods in understanding. "Then tell him that I will be up there in a few minutes. You may return to your squad. As soon as we reach Earth, you will be deployed planet-side."

"Yes sir." With that, Colt salutes Anakin and walks out of the Jedi's quarters, the door sealing behind him. Anakin sighs slightly, but then gets back onto his feet, grabbing the blue helmet off a desk near his bed, and walks out of his quarters as well. He then strolls down the winding corridors, clones running around to prepare for the battle with blaster rifles in their hands and saluting Anakin whenever they pass.

Soon, Anakin reaches the bridge of the Acclamator where the swirling light of hyperspace can still be seen. "Ah, General Skywalker. I've been waiting for you." Tarkin says, walking over to the Jedi.

"Admiral Tarkin, we have reached the coordinates. Pulling out of hyperspace now." A deck officer reports, starting preparations. A minute of silence passes, even though it feels like an eternity before the Acclamator pulls out of hyperspace. About 20 klicks behind the Acclamator, every other ship that makes up the Republic's Might pull out of hyperspace. The ships are about 2,000 klicks in front of a large planet with numerous continents, surrounded by vast oceans and storms raging in certain areas of said oceans. Anakin has to admit, it is a beautiful planet to look at, rivaled only by Naboo or Alderaan. As he looks at the planet more closely, however, he notices that several long stations are ringing the planet, pointing in all directions. With a sense of dread, he realizes that they must be the UNSC's version of the defense platforms he has seen the CIS use around sensitive worlds, such as the time he and Obi-Wan invaded the planet of Muunilinst*.

"General, what are your orders?" Tarkin asks stoically. Everyone looks at Anakin for instructions for what to do.

"Alright. We need to proceed with caution. Knowing the UNSC's style of offense, those are defense platforms orbiting the planet and they will…"

"S-S-Sir. The UNSC are already coming for us." A deck officer reports. Anakin can't help but raise an eyebrow when he senses the fear from the officer. What is making him so nervous.

"How many ships are being sent against us?" Anakin asks, hoping to the Force that they have some sort of edge over their 'enemy'.

The officer looks up at him, and both Anakin and Tarkin are slightly taken aback by the terrified look on his face. "Sir, if the sensors are right, we are dealing with a fleet of 300 ships."

For the first time that day, the color drains from Anakin's face when he hears the report. It shouldn't surprise him, considering the fact that unlike most battles Anakin fought in, this one is in UNSC territory. But the number still alarms everyone within earshot. "General, Admiral. Look!" A clone shouts, pointing straight ahead.

Both of them look out of curiosity, then nearly step back in shock. For the largest grouping of UNSC ships any of them have ever seen are detaching from the defense platforms and flying up to intercept them. There are hundreds of ships of all classes, ranging from a large number of Autumn-class cruisers to Strident-class frigates. "By the Force." Another clone murmurs, as through the Force, Anakin can feel that everyone onboard are on the verge of panicking. Not that Anakin can blame them; he himself feels a twinge of fear.

But he shakes his head, focusing on what to do. "All right. Everyone, stick to our strategy, and we will…"

"General! Sorry to interrupt, but I am picking up fluctuating energy signatures from the planet." The 2nd deck officer speaks up.

"Take evasive action!" Tarkin orders quickly. The deck officers immediately get to work, pulling the ship up. Sure enough, the light from a MAC cannon from one of the Orbital Defense Platforms comes rocketing towards them. Luckily, the rest of the Republic ships caught on to the danger as well and also dodged in either direction, miraculously not hitting each other, as they barely dodge the MAC shot.

Within a second, Anakin realizes that the old plan is now useless and new tactics need to be chosen. After a few seconds, Anakin comes up with a plan only he could come up with. "Contact the rest of the Jedi now." Anakin orders. The clone technician nearest the holo table just nods and gets to work. As the ship starts straightening itself out, Anakin walks to the holo table as the rest of the Jedi appear. "Master Windu, Master Yoda. Our current plan will never work."

"With those high-powered defense stations, I agree, Master Skywalker." Windu responds in his stoic manner.

Before he can continue on his track, Anakin cuts him off, "Look, I have an idea. I need all of you to keep this UNSC fleet off my back. Scramble all fighters and keep those ships distracted. I am going to take a gunship full of ARC troopers and disable one of those defense towers. That will provide you an opening so you can start landing troops on the planet."

"A bold plan, Master Skywalker. But our best course of action, it is. May the Force be with you." Yoda responds then all of the projections cut off as the UNSC ships start firing on the Republic's Might.

"Scramble all fighters. I want all ARCs loaded up on a LAAT ASAP." Anakin says hurriedly to Tarkin, who nods and goes to relay the orders. Anakin runs down the halls, putting on his helmet along the way until he reaches the docking bay. Every single clone pilot is loading up, boarding their respective ships and getting ready to fly. He makes his way past all of this and jumps onto a LAAT. "Pilot, let's get going." Anakin says quickly.

"Pulling us out." The pilot responds and once the docking bay doors open, all of the ship's fighters fly out and soar through space towards the UNSC Home Fleet. Those ships also turn to the side and release their own swarm of fighters, ranging from Longswords to Broadswords. All around the LAAT, the battle starts as fighters engage one another in brutal dogfights. Even though the UNSC now outnumbers the Republic rather spectacularly, the Republic pilots, hardened after months of combat with them and the Sangheili, manage to keep themselves from getting blown up.

As much as Anakin doesn't want to do it, he lets the battle progress the way it's going, as the gunship approaches the nearest Orbital Defense Platform at the fastest speed it can travel. Suddenly, the ship starts shaking, knocking everyone off-balance. "Kriff, I lost one of my rear turbines. Everyone, brace for impact. We are coming in hard." The pilot shouts to his passengers as he approaches the closest hanger, the ship still shaking from losing one of its turbines.

Anakin grabs one of the handlebars on the gunship, along with the rest of the ARCs around him. After several tense minutes of battle raging around them, the gunship crashes into the ground, jolting everyone forward a little. "Alright, men. This gunship is not going anywhere. The Force better be with us." Colt says, pulling out his blaster rifle.

Anakin activates his lightsaber and uses the Force to swing the blast door open. "Go, go, go!" Anakin says, jumping out and immediately dances around, deflecting bullets flying at him from 20 marines and soldiers wearing heavier armor that shows that they are in the UNSC Army. The clones also leap out of the permanently grounded gunship, which is still smoking from the shot it took, and return fire. Some of the strikes hit a handful soldiers, but they shrug off the blaster shots while a few crumple to the ground, dead. While this is happening, until Anakin starts using the Force to throw UNSC crates at the troops, either crushing them completely or sending them flying in different directions.

"Retreat. Secure the halls." A UNSC marine sergeant says with a surprisingly calm voice, firing his twin pistols at the ARCs to keep them at bay while his own troops start backing up behind the suspension for a platform above, eventually dropping out of sight. The Sergeant gets off a few more shots, dodging a box Anakin throws at him, before getting off 2 mores shots. These bullets impact an ARC trooper's throat, causing him to gag a little, blood seeping out from underneath the helmet before collapsing. With these last shots, the sergeant runs backs through the doorway as it closes and locks behind them.

"Clear." Colt says as he sweeps through the hanger, a few corpses of UNSC troops on the ground.

Anakin also looks around, looking for any possible ambush point. "Sir." Another ARC says, catching Anakin's attention. "They have locked the door that they have escaped from. From the sounds of it, they are setting up mounted turrets and preparing to make a stand in the chamber on the other side."

"Brave soldiers." Anakin murmurs. "Whoever that sergeant is, he's certainly courageous." He then looks up and even from the side, he notices a docked Pelican strapped down and just waiting to launch. "Sergeant Colt, secure this hanger. Pilot, I want you to get on that Pelican and figure out how to operate it. Once we're done here, we'll take it down to the planet. I will take care of the MAC firing controls. Without it or control over their MAC cannon, the Republic's Might's ships will be able to land."

"Yes General. Here's a few thermal detonators." Colt responds, giving Anakin 3 silver spherical grenades.

"Thank you, Sergeant. May the Force be with you." With those words, Anakin runs in the direction where the other troops fled down. Colt nods, then turns around to helplessly watch the fireworks as Defense Platforms fire MAC shots at the distant Republic fleet doing battle with the UNSC fleet. Anakin runs to the door with glowing red lights on it. Activating his lightsaber, he stabs the door and twirls the blade in a circular motion. Then with a push from the Force, the cut-out metal is shoved out and smashes into the opposite wall.

After Anakin crawls through his opening and sees that the hallway is clear, he takes a turn to the left and runs down the winding corridor. That is, until he has to duck behind the wall to not get torn to shreds by the makeshift turrets that are now blazing in his general direction. Taking a deep breath, Anakin runs out of the hallway, jumping high over the 2 UNSC Army soldiers manning the turrets and slashes around, slicing into a female marine's shoulder but not killing her. Since time is of the essence, Anakin ignores the shots raging around him, occasionally using his lightsaber to deflect a bullet with his boosted senses thanks to the Force, as he runs down the corridor that winds to the right and leads into a 2nd hanger. Even more UNSC troops are present and firing on the Jedi. All the while, the alarm is blaring and a male voice is shouting over the comms, "Attention, attention! The _Cairo_ station has been boarded. Repeat, the _Cairo_ has been boarded. All troops, get to your battle stations. This is not a drill; repeat, not a drill."

But he is completely one with the Force, dodging each shot that goes off and occasionally throwing a box of supplies or weapons at the troops. One of them shouts, "Ah, what the fuck, man? What is it with these Jedi dipshits?" But Anakin ignores the sarcastic comment and runs down a staircase to avoid being hit by a rocket from a rocket launcher. He continues sprinting past another parallel corridor, up the 2 staircases, through an armory of sorts, past a chamber with natural vegetation and up more staircases. On and on he goes through the base, never stopping to do battle with the troops although he does get some lucky slashes in, killing an Army soldier and wounding about 10 more. While most men or women would faint from going so fast and so long, Anakin has the Force flowing through him, guiding his every movements as he senses that it will lead him to his destination. Eventually, he reaches a long chamber with 4 glass windows on either side, and crates lying everywhere. Suddenly, the door leading to open space opens up and to Anakin's slight surprise, 4 men in full armor that's bordering on gold appear and start firing on the Jedi.

He ducks under the SMG shot and uses the Force to throw one of the many crates lying around at the Fireteam. They easily dodge the 1st crate, but the 2nd one knocks them back out into open space. He is about to take a sigh of relief, when the Force screams in warning and he moves out of the way as the presumed leader of the Spartan Fireteam tries to stab him with a combat knife. He has some success with the attack, however, as the sharp knife penetrates the armor on Anakin's forearm and pierces flesh and bone. Anakin hisses in anger as he uses the Force one last time to knock the Spartan off-balance, allowing Anakin to slash him across the chest and knock him out cold. When the Republic wins this battle, he will be put on trial for assaulting a Jedi.

Anakin looks down at the knife in his arm and after grabbing it, rips it out of his arm. He groans in pain, wishing that he brought bacta with him on his solo mission. Ignoring the throbbing pain in his arm, he leaps out of the corridor and into the open space. Right now, Anakin is so happy that he kept the blue helmet from the mysterious Project Freelancer that he is currently wearing, as it is giving him the oxygen supply needed to allow him to breath in open space like he is doing now. He quickly turns around and starts running along the defense platform's exterior, looking around. While he may despise the UNSC for their actions against his fellow order, he has to admit that these orbital defense platforms are truly remarkable, much more effective than any other defense platform he had encountered in the Clone Wars.

After several minutes of running down more corridors, he rides down a magnetic elevator that lowers itself to another level, where 3 marines are waiting. They jump in surprise and are about to let loose their assault rifles, but Anakin uses the Force to pull them out of their hands and slashes them apart, shouting in pain as they collapse to the ground. Fortunately, he did not meet any more opposition until he enters an airlock, allowing Anakin a chance to turn off the helmet that is now running on stale air. In here, at least 50 troops are waiting, their guns blazing when they see the Jedi run in. But being the Jedi he is, Anakin ducks behind some crates as the troops keep on firing at him.

"General! What's your status?" Appo's voice says over the communication bracelet on his left arm. Anakin taps it and the image of Colt flares to life.

"Just peachy. What's your status?" Anakin asks, as 2 marines jumps over a crate only to get slashed in half by Anakin.

"Well, the UNSC have been pushing hard against us, General. We lost 4 more men, but our pilot figured out how to operate that Pelican we secured and escaped. What's your position?" Anakin looks up, noticing the large yellow beam moving back and forth and the light shaking here. With a jolt, Anakin realizes that this must be a vulnerable point where the MAC cannon fires. Place the thermal detonators there, and…

"Sergeant, is there an airlock near your position? Repeat, is there an open airlock?" Anakin asks before his eyes widen and he jumps aside to barely dodge a brutal shot that resembles the MAC cannon's bullets sent by a rather large marine, his helmet blown off to reveal his bald head.

"…You're crazy, General, but it's your best way to get out of there. Yes, I do see a place where you can jut out, but you're crazy."

"Sergeant, wait there to rendezvous with me and start setting up a comm line with Master Windu." He then closes the comm line. Briefly noticing a Venator getting blown up by missiles from a Halcyon and Strident cruiser, Anakin jumps from out of his cover and starts slashing any UNSC soldiers in his way as he jumps up to the yellow beam rising to the ceiling and after pulling out his thermal detonators, activating them one at a time and setting them in a place where he knows they will do the most damage.

"No!" A marine shouts, firing his battle rifle at him. But after raising his lightsaber, Anakin deflects it back to its owner, punching through his head. Now that time is of the essence, he runs to a 2nd airlock on the right side of the large room. Once the doors close, Anakin reactivates his helmet, now full of fresh oxygen, and after the airlock stops going down, he pulls a lever at the new destination. Suddenly, the airlock doors shoot open and Anakin flies out, drifting aimlessly in space until a Pelican flies right at him. The hatch opens up and the closest ARC trooper reaches out, pulling the Jedi inside as the hatch door closes behind them. Deactivating the oxygen once again, Anakin pulls off his helmet and gasps for air.

"I see you are still alive, Master Skywalker. Did you succeed in your mission?" Windu asks, standing as stoically as ever.

"Thank you, Master Windu." Anakin responds, then watches as an explosion takes place on the side of the station and the lights that were once on the side of the giant MAC cannon dims considerably before going out. He adds, "To answer your question, I have succeeded in my mission. The station is not going to bother us any longer. You may begin landing our troops."

* * *

 **13:10 UNSC time**

 **Bridge of Orbital Defense Platform** _ **Cairo**_

 **Orbiting Earth**

* * *

As the Pelican hijacked by the Republicans flies away from their position and down to the planet, it is being watched on a holographic projection by a squad of marines and Army soldiers, while some of them are tending to their wounded and deck officers are trying to reactivate the MAC.

"Damn it." A marine sergeant in his mid-30s says, sheathing his twin pistols and taking his helmet off, revealing short black hair and holds it to the side. "I let them get away."

"Don't blame yourself. None of us were prepared to take on a Jedi, especially one who disgraces our Spartans by wearing one of their helmets." A female marine says, placing a hand on his shoulder.

The man looks at wife and sighs. "I know. I'm worried because now that the MAC gun can't work anymore, those cloned soldiers are going to be able to land on Earth, led by more Jedi. I need to make sure my sister is going to be okay."

"Caleb?" A young male voice asks, a light British accent in his voice. The 2 turn around to see a very young army soldier, no more than 19, looking up at him. His helmet is off so his blonde hair and ice blue eyes can be seen, a half-scared, half-angry look on his face. His twin brother is nearby, examining the wounds of a marine, hissing in pain from the deep gash in his stomach. "I'm sorry, but my brother and I can't help these people too much. We can patch them up, but we need a real hospital to treat them properly."

Caleb clenches his fists together when he hears that, ignoring the unprofessional addressing. "Of course, Private Mandus. We need to get off this station now. But how?"

Before anyone else can converse any further, the projection flares to life and the image of Admiral Snow appears in the middle of the bridge. "Ah, Sergeant Redfield. It's good to see you again."

"Admiral Snow, it's been a while. Listen, we have wounded troops up here. We need extraction to the planet. That's where the real battle will take place." Redfield responds, standing at attention.

Snow chuckles slightly. "You haven't changed at all since you were transferred from my post. Very well, I shall send a Paris frigate to pick up your troops. The wounded will be taken care of. As for the rest of you, I want you ready to fight. When I drop you down to the planet, you will be on your own."

"Copy that, Admiral."

* * *

 _AN:_ And thus, the battle begins. Yes, I decided to recreate the Cairo Station mission in Halo 2. It just felt appropriate.

To OmegaEntertainment: Thank you so much. I had a feeling that was the case but wasn't sure. I was preoccupied at the time.

Yeah, I am not that great with names so I decided to reference numerous games with the new soldiers who will make more appearances as the rest of the story goes on, and older ones previously mentioned reappearing. Now, you may be wondering why the Sangheili battles aren't coming enough. The reason is that I have not found the right time to bring them up.

But I can promise you all, you WILL see the Sangheili in open combat later.

*Yeah, I saw both the Clone Wars volumes and I'm confused as to which is canon and which is not: The 2 Clone Wars volumes that introduced Grevious or the cartoon with Ahsoka. I just settled on doing a fusion between the 2 sides for this story.

Anyway, see you next time when the battle starts heating up.

Later!


	22. Chapter 22: Second Battle of Earth Part2

**November 13** **th**

 **2583**

 **13:10 UNSC time**

 **Galactic Republic Acclamator-class star cruiser' Bridge**

 **Orbiting Earth**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **person POV:**

* * *

"Good work, Master Skywalker. I will begin landing troops immediately. May the Force be with you on your journey." Jedi Master Mace Windu states to the projection of his fellow Jedi, who is holding his bleeding arm at an awkward angle to keep the bleeding as minimal as possible, before the transmission is cut out. "Trooper, get me in contact with Master Yoda."

"Yes, General." The trooper salutes then starts working the comm table. After a few seconds, the image of Yoda flares to life.

"Master Yoda. I just got a report from Master Skywalker. He disabled one of those defense towers. I'm going to start landing troops."

"Very well. Take command of this battle, I will." Yoda responds, gripping his cane tightly before his down projection cuts out.

Windu then turns to his starcruiser's Admiral, Lorth Needa. "Admiral Needa. Take this ship planetside and make sure to stay our course. Alert all fighters from our cruiser to follow us. We'll need them to secure a landing zone and keep the UNSC's fighters at bay."

"Yes, General." Needa salutes then relays the orders to the deck officers, who immediately get work and start relaying communications to the fighters flying around in open space. After a minute, the Acclamator dips down and flies down past the ring of ODPs that surround the planet* with hundreds of fighters returning to the docking bay so they will not get burnt to a crisp from entering Earth's atmosphere. With great sadness, Windu can only watch helplessly as a Charon-class light warship takes a risk and fires its MAC cannon at a Venator as it cruises toward the warship, the MAC shot piercing the side of the ship and making it implode for a second as it crashes into the Charon ship, resulting in both ships exploding in a bright orange ball of fire and death.

Windu forces his attention away from the space battle and watches as the docking bay closes up and the Acclamator flies past the disabled Orbital Defense Platform, making sure to stay away from the other active platforms that are firing side weapons on the Republic's Might to keep them at bay. But about 2 Venators and 3 Acclamators, all led by Jedi, have also been notified of the disabled platform and are now following Windu to the planet's surface.

* * *

 **13:30 UNSC time**

 **Old Portland, United Republic of North America**

 **Earth**

* * *

Jedi Knight Depa Billaba is looking around anxiously, watching as her Acclamator flies through the planet's atmosphere and hovers above a small coastal city, with a highly-advanced space elevator on the top of a green hill.

Suddenly, a swarm of UNSC Wasps screech through the air, making their way toward the Republic transport. "Get all side turbolasers blazing at full speed. We need to secure a landing zone and now."

"Yes General." A clone commander responds, saluting and relaying the orders. The Wasps start firing missiles at the Acclamator, continuing on their path and turning around for another sweep. However, they never get the chance to do their 2nd sweep because the turbolasers start blazing on the side of the Acclamator and the first few rounds hit the wings of 3 Wasp fighters, causing them to spin out of control and slam into the beach, exploding upon impact. The remaining fighters fly in different directions, not certain as to what to do. Then the docking bays open up and the remaining ARC-170s fly out to continue dishing out pain as they also barely dodge the turbolasers. After a mere minute, the Wasps are no more. A pang of sadness fills Billaba's heart, but she can't figure out why. "Commander, set this ship down."

The Commander only nods and a minute later, the entire ship is settled on the beach and everyone is unloading their heavier equipment, like the AT-TEs and heavy cannons. Her padawan, Caleb, suddenly has an alarmed look on his face and he looks to the right. "Master. Look."

Billaba looks in the same direction and her heart sinks. For in that direction, another swarm of Hornets and Wasps are flying at them, with a single Wolverine tank with dozens of UNSC marines and Army soldiers charging towards them at alarming speeds. "Alright, men. Prepare to hold your ground here. I wonder what the people of this planet think of our invasion." She mutters the last part before activating her lightsaber and charging into the battle field with Dume following close behind.

* * *

 **November 14th**

 **2:00 UNSC time**

 **New Austin, United Republic of North America**

 **Earth**

* * *

New Austin Police officer Richard Deckerson is always far from happy lately.

The Galactic Republic had not only managed to find his home planet, but sent the largest fleet ever rallied for one rather obvious purpose: To kill the Senators of the United Earth Government. So, now that 1 of the ODPs are disabled, the Republic has started landing troops all across the planet. One of those ships had just landed and all of its heavy equipment had been unloaded. Sadly, New Austin does not have the deflector shields and walls that make Manhattan safe in case of a potential attack, and the heavy weaponry had allowed the invaders to easily capture the city, killing any UNSC personnel or civilian who didn't get evacuated in time. Those two tanks, the marines are now dubbing the Juggernaut, had secured the victory which was led by a werewolf-looking Jedi named Voolvif Monn.

Watching from the rooftop Richard is hiding on using a binocular, he silently curses and ducks back to cover when a squad of 4 ARC-170s soar overhead, watching the destroyed street filled with corpses and toppled cars, ensuring their security at this now-abandoned city. He runs along the roof, taking the staircase down the emergency entry to a once-bustling shopping mall. At the bottom of the stairs but on the top level are 40 survivors who lost their homes and friends to the attack. Half of that group are civilians, but the other half are made up of marines and the last of the New Austin police officers including Deckerson. At least they all managed to secure a vast array of weapons from the dead soldiers in the streets or at the New Austin Police Department, most of them being assault rifles or magnum pistols but some of the luckier people managed to acquire a blaster rifle so now they can use those weapons against the invaders. "What kind of forces are we looking to deal with?" Alicia Redfield asks, holding a blaster rifle she recovered from one of the few clone soldiers who were killed in the attack. She is wearing long black jeans, a red tank top that reveals a small amount of her stomach which is covered by a black biker's jacket. She is not wearing a helmet so her long, messy black hair is flowing freely down her shoulders and has a hardened look on her pale face. Deckerson has to admit that he has some feelings for her, but he won't pursue any romantic relations. His divorce was already enough.

"Alright. From the looks of it, the clones who have captured the city are now patrolling in groups of 4. We take the patrols out one by one then we take out the Juggernaut." Deckerson responds calmly.

One of the marines, a man of Japanese ancestry, walks forward with a skeptical look on his face. "Excuse me, Officer Deckerson, but can you say that to my non-drunk ear? I could have sworn you said that despite being a ragtag resistance, you think we can destroy 2 Republic tanks that look like they can take on a goddamn Mammoth tank and probably a fucking Covenant Scarab while it's at it. So, tell me. How do you plan to achieve that?"

Deckerson thinks over his answer for a few moments before responding. "Simple. Private Lee, take most of our group and eliminate the patrols so they won't interfere, then Alicia, I want you to accompany me to the abandoned storage facility on the edge of the city. I can operate the Mark VI Cyclops buried in the rubble there to punch a hole in the side and make the Juggernaut's reactor implode."

"…I like the idea. When do we start?" Alicia asks, a small smile creeping on her face.

Deckerson pulls out his M6K Magnum pistol from his brown overcoat which covers his thick dark green chestplate with the white symbol of a bird with outstretched wings on the front. The gun had been modified during Deckerson's years as an officer so it can fire sniper rounds as well and a silencer equipped on the end as well. He pulled the barrel back to check and sure enough, the bullet magazine is full. "Alright. I have a full magazine. But Private Lee, use combat knives to silently take out the clones. Use your bullets only if you have to. Good luck to you all." With those last words, Deckerson hold his pistol up near his head with 1 hand and runs down the stairs and out of the temporary base, with Alicia following close behind.

The duo run out of the main entrance, then hide behind an 18-wheeler truck on its side as another squad of 4 clones in their shining white armor march past them. They then stop in the middle of the street and one of them lifts up his left arm and a holographic projection appears on the wrist, with the image of Voolvif Monn coming to life. "General Monn, the UNSC and their people have been routed."

"Good work. Fall back to the base that we need help setting up. Our priority right now is to allow a safe zone for more Republic troops to land and then we can continue our campaign. General Monn out."

When the projection cuts out, the squad leader turns around. "Alright, men. We're pulling back to base."

"Oh, thank the Force. These corpses are starting to creep me out." A clone responds, looking down at the corpse of a UNSC marine. "It really makes you wonder how kriffing hardened the UNSC's forces are if they are used to scenes like this. Very rarely in the wars did it get this bad."

Alicia pulls out a combat knife which she kept on a sheath on her belt, then sneaks out of her cover and up to the troops before stabbing one of them in the neck. He lets out a short scream of pain before collapsing to the ground, dead. The other 3 turn around and are about to fire, but Deckerson decides to throw caution to the wind and fires his pistol. The silenced bullet punches through the back of another clone's chest, making him collapse to the ground. Deckerson points his pistol at the other troops and fires again, killing the 3rd trooper. The leader fires his blaster to which Deckerson dodges easily, and Alicia takes advantage of the pause on her, grabbing the right hand of the troop and pulling it back, dislocating the hand. He shouts in pain, unused to a dislocating limb, before Deckerson grabs the clone's head and twists it at an odd angle, snapping his neck.

"I may be experienced in combat, but shooting an opponent in the back never felt right." He mutters before looking up at his partner. "Good job. Who taught you to fight like that?"

"My brother. He's a Sergeant in the UNSC and was stationed on a Defense Platform that's orbiting Earth. I hope he's OK."

"I hope so, too." Deckerson responds, although his tone indicates that if he was on the station that was knocked out, he probably isn't around. Just then, he notices activity in the building and he pulls Alicia back into cover. "We got snipers watching for us. It will be very difficult to reach the storage facility."

"Don't worry. I got an idea." Alicia answers, then sheathes her knife having finished wiping the blood off and runs out into the street with her partner following, each picking up a motorcycle lying on its side. She revs its engine, producing a loud noise that would certainly attract any Republican attention then after the duo hop on their respective motorcycles, they drive it down the road. Numerous shots from snipers in the buildings go off and the clones run out to try and land a shot on the fleeing civilians but they are too fast, and they continue their ride into the edge of the Republic's newly-acquired territory, even though they don't encounter any clones along the way. Richard feels a hint of suspicion crawl into his mind as to why they have not encountered any resistance yet as they pass hastily formed barricades and the ruins of war machines such as Scorpion tanks and Warthogs, but the thought is pushed away when they reach the abandoned facility. Half of the curved ceiling on the left has fully collapsed and the bodies of New Austin police officers are lying around in all directions. Deckerson stares at the scene for a long moment, sadness filling every crevice of his body. He was part of this last stand before the Juggernaut and a battalion of clones marched in, killing almost everyone inside with only Deckerson and a handful of fellow officers surviving.

Just as they stop riding their motorcycles, numerous clones jump out from their cover and a barrage of blaster fire reigns down on them. Luckily, the duo manages to get off the bikes in time and start returning fire as they back into the factory, making sure not to stumble on the corpses inside. "What's going on?" The voice of Monn asks a clone as he approaches the clones forming a semicircle around the abandoned building.

"Sir. We encountered 2 survivors inside. One of whom looks like a survivor of our main assault." Answers a clone sergeant, after saluting his General.

"Very well. Hold your fire. I'm going to try and solve this situation diplomatically." Monn answers, watching the door closely. The clones look surprised by the order, but they do so. Monn straightens up and addresses the facility before him with a booming voice. "You have fought valiantly against us. If you surrender now, I can assure you that you will leave this city alive and unharmed. You have 2 minutes to come out."

"Richard, you better hurry up." Alicia mutters to Deckerson as she watches from the shadows, her weapons ready. Meanwhile, in the level below them, Deckerson is pulling boulders of concrete off a massive pile in the middle of the facility underground where numerous crates of different sizes and are lying around as the moon's light shines down on him, the tiny explosions of fire from the space battle that is still raging on above the planet's atmosphere. Fortunately, he manages to pull a particularly large slab of concrete and metal off, revealing the cockpit for the New Austin Police Cyclops with the body of his former boss, the well-respected Police Commissioner Bryant, strapped in. Heaving a sigh of relief and sadness, he pulls open the door and after unstrapping the corpse, throws it out and enters the cockpit, strapping himself inside and turning the war machine on. It takes a surprisingly long time, judging by the damage it sustained, but it whirs to life and control is regained.

"Alright. You have left me with no choice. Clones, prepare to fire. Bring down this primitive facility." Monn calls out, with his men nodding and lifting their rifles. Suddenly, the Cyclops uses its full strength to rip itself out of the pile of concrete, lifting its massive machine gun arm up in the air and grabbing the riot shield. Despite several dents in the armor from the concrete tomb which also smashed the blue and red lights on either side and scorch marks on the white chest due to blaster shots trying and failing to cripple it, the Cyclops is still holding together and ready for combat.

"Um...Did you hear that?" A clone asks, slightly unnerved by the loud noises he heard in the facility.

"Yes. Hold your positions here and don't let anything leave. I am going inside to…" He gets cut off as the loud noise echoes again and suddenly, a damaged Police Cyclops charges out of the warehouse and charges into the barricades. Clones go flying in all directions, shouting in panic while they do so, and the machine gun blazes, sending bullets in all directions to wipe out more clones before marching off to the right, no body noticing as Alicia gets back onto a motorcycle and she speeds off after him.

"General! They are going for the base." Shouts a clone, realizing the direction they are heading.

"Get all men alerted of the coming attack and have them man our Juggernauts. We are not losing our turbo tanks to these locals." Monn shouts, activating his lightsaber and getting back on the speeder he used to come here before riding down the streets, with about 10 more clones boarding the remaining speeders. As they weave around the highway, they come up on Alicia who is riding her bike in the middle of the road. Sensing the danger, she pulls out her blaster rifle and fires behind her. Her shot strikes the front of a speeder and the clone topples off, landing in front of a large truck and getting crushed by his own speeder that rolled into him.

The chase goes on for several minutes before they reach the Republic's main base, where several crates of Republic supplies are thrown around chaotically and clones lying on the ground, dead. Deckerson is firing his machine gun arm at the clones and using another arm to punch into the armor of one of the parked Juggernauts. After another monster punch, he penetrates the armor and crushes the generator in the center, after which he concentrates fire on the exposed core. "No!" Monn screams, but it's too late. The tank explodes, knocking everyone back. Deckerson then turns around and is about to let loose another stream of fire, but the Jedi leaps into action. He lunges into the air, swiping his lightsaber and cutting off the machine gun mounting and uses the Force to push the Cyclops back to the ground. Two clones run to the cockpit, pulling the glass doors open and forcing the ex-cop out. Monn stares as the clones also capture Alicia and force her down to her knees, next to Richard. "You have fought valiantly. But for the safety of the Republic, you will have to die." Monn states, looking down and feeling a little bad about this.

"Men. Ready your weapons." The clone sergeant calls out. His men raise their rifles, ready to fire on their hostages, but then, a massive explosion goes off. They all look in that direction and in the distance, they can see a single Paris-class cruiser flying back into the air and away from the destroyed city. Suddenly, a squad of UNSC Army soldiers charge forward, blasting clones aside and knocking them aside as they progress. They are led by a squad of 20 UNSC marines wielding a variety of weapons. One of them lifts up twin magnum pistols and fires upon the Jedi, only for him to barely deflect the shots. Some clones start running to the last Juggernaut in the hops of taking control of the battle again, but they are picked off by a pair of marines wielding sniper rifles, twins with curls of blonde hair sticking out from under their helmets. However, their situation only gets worse when a Wolverine tank and a Scorpion tank roll into the city block, firing missiles and tank shots at the Juggernaut. They manage to strike the center and their combined power makes the reactor go critical and the entire explodes, sending large pieces of shrapnel in all directions which impale several clones in the chest or face. Voolvif Monn is about to engage a UNSC Army soldier when he senses the shrapnel coming and he slashes behind him, barely doing it in time. However, that moment of distraction cost his attention and by the time he realized what was going on, he already felt the bullet from a magnum pierce his side and he goes down to the ground. The marine sergeant walks forward, taking his standard helmet off to reveal his short black hair. Alicia walks up to his side, pulling out her blaster rifle.

He looks at her with an expression of relief on his face. "It's good to see you alive, Alex."

"It's good to see you too." Her brother responds then point their weapons at the fallen Jedi who tries using the Force to pull his lightsaber to him. But as the lightsaber returns to his hand, the Redfield siblings fire simultaneously, each shot piercing the Jedi's heart and each shot takes more and more life from him until the grip on his lightsaber loosens and his head slumps back to the ground in death.

"Sergeant Redfield. Area is secured." An Army soldier reports as he walks back to his superior officer.

"Good job. Keep the men alert; we may have destroyed the base, but that doesn't mean we wiped them all out." He then turns to Deckerson and raises his hand. "So you're the famous officer Rick Deckerson. It's nice to meet you in person. I'm Sergeant Redfield."

"I know. A pleasure to meet you too." Deckerson responds and they shake hands. Before they can continue conversing much further, another Army soldier runs up to them.

"Sergeant, Fleet Admiral Lawrence Hood would like to talk with you." He says, then pulls out the small circular communicator and out comes a holographic projection. Unlike the ones the Republic uses, this communicator can work at long distances and is much harder to disrupt. The projection of the well-kept Fleet Admiral appears in miniature form.

"Sergeant, good to see you alive. You are needed to come to the New York area. A whole army of Republic soldiers, led by about 3 Jedi, are using heavy cannons to punch through our walls. Your orders are to assist the Spartans in holding off the enemy troops and prevent them from taking Manhattan Island. I have your location and am sending a squad of Pelicans to pick you up. Am I clear?" Hood reports with a stoic and hardened tone.

"Crystal, sir." Redfield responds, saluting his superior officer. Hood does the same before the transmission cuts out.

"So…What are your orders?" Private Mandus asks, his twin brother standing at his side and looking ready for action.

"Secure the city and kill any surviving clones and destroy any last Republic ships. When those Pelicans pick us up, I want us to make the Republic have nightmares of us. I want to make them regret ever coming to this planet."

* * *

 **3:30 UNSC time**

 **New York City, United Republic of North America**

 **Earth**

* * *

Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker is practically bouncing on his feet with anxiety. He and a fellow Jedi by the name of Et Rex are in charge of all Republic troops in the middle of a city with skyscrapers that could rival those on Corusant while the 3rd Jedi, Aayla Secura, leads a small group of clones and 2 AV-7 Anti-vehicle Artillery Cannons, or Heavy Cannons, are firing at full power on the base of the deflector shield surrounding an island on the other side of a massive overpass bridge.

"I hate this." Anakin states bluntly, pacing in circles as clones march past them, watching the streets while dozens watch from the buildings on either side through their sniper rifles, ready to alert the Jedi if any UNSC troops are approaching.

"Patience, Master Skywalker." Et Rex answers, watching Anakin's pacing with a look of mild amusement on his face, mixed with concern as well.

"I know. But I have felt it in the Force. Master Monn had been killed recently, his men sharing the same fate. I could be helping them, but now we're stuck protecting our troops from nothing. I guess this silence is starting to get the better of me." Anakin answers, looking around at the base. A single AT-TE is stopped in the middle of the road, its barrel facing the empty streets in the case a tank that decides to roll down the streets. Commander Cody walks towards them, holding his blasters in hand.

"Generals, I just received word from the scouts. There's…nothing. Permission to speak freely?"

"Permission granted, Commander." Et Rex answers before Anakin can get the chance.

"This place is starting to give me the creeps. With all the side alleys and abandoned buildings, there are far too many places for us to get ambushed for my liking, even though we have complete control over the city."

"I hear you, Commander. I can't help but get the feeling that our enemies are waiting for something. Something that will turn the tide of this battle." Anakin mutters, staring at the empty street of the city that reminds him too much of Corusant for his liking. It wasn't like the UNSC had to put up much of a fight for the city, either. The entire place was empty when they got there, devoid of civilians and a small presence of soldiers, few enough to make the Jedi suspicious. And the Force nagging at Anakin's mind, warning him of danger, doesn't help matters in the slightest.

In that moment, the Force screams at the Jedi, much stronger than before. "What is going on?" Et Rex asks, looking around to find the source of the disturbance. "I am going to talk to the patrols. Something is horribly wrong." With that, the Jedi walks to the semicircular control panel set up as the center of the base, and pushes a button. The projection screen on the right of Rex beeps for a few seconds until the image of a clone appears, ducking as blaster fire reigns on the other side. "What's going on?" Et Rex demands, a shocked look on his face.

"General. We have been ambushed by a bunch of Spartans. We can't…" He never finished his report before a blast from a blaster goes off, killing the clone instantly. He disappears from the screen and a fully-armored Spartan appears on the screen, lifting up his leg and stomping it. The transmission cuts out a split second later. The 2 Jedi are shocked beyond belief, now realizing what the UNSC were waiting for, until a massive explosion goes off in the distance and the Acclamator that Et Rex came to the planet on collapses to the ground in a heap. The Force screams again at the Jedi, and Anakin looks up at the buildings. In a split second, he realizes what is going on.

"Troops, take cover!" Anakin shouts, before leaping out of the way. A second later, the glass on the buildings smash outward as a squad of 10 ODSTs jump out and rocket through the air using their jetpacks. One of their group lifts up a railgun and fires it at Et Rex. He dodges the blast barely and the blast strikes the central panel, making it explode and all directions. The ODSTs then land on the ground and start firing on the clones with deadly accuracy.

Cody fires back on them, engaging a particularly muscled ODST who is shooting flames in all directions with his flamethrower. Anakin is about to rejoin Et Rex on the battlefield, but he then activates his lightsaber and barely has time to stop the slash of a glowing blue energy sword. He turns around and comes face to face with the Spartan who killed the clone squad before his eyes. The armor is dark green and the number 117 is printed in white on the left half of the chestplate. As Anakin stares into the dark orange visor of the Spartan, a trickle of fear enters his mind when he realizes that he is facing the most famous soldier in the UNSC's military history, known only as the Master Chief. His name, along with the Spartans in general, is already striking fear in the hearts of the clone soldiers. Anakin slides the lightsaber to the side and tries to knock the energy sword out of his hands and slash at the Spartan.

But the stories of the legendary Spartan on the battlefield understate his pure strength since Chief manages to hold onto his energy sword, even with his arm twisted at an odd angle. He uses his open arm to punch Anakin in the face, causing the Jedi to fly backwards several feet, but he manages to land on his feet. He wipes his face, massaging his face. The punch had been much more painful than he was expecting and if he got hit in that spot again, his skull might be fractured. Slowly, Anakin stands up and faces the Spartan with a grin forming on his face. "You are an honorable opponent, Master Chief. I was hoping to fight you face to face." He calls out, raising his lightsaber.

"Indeed. I have heard that you are a hero to your people. But for my people to live, you must die." Chief responds, lifting up his energy sword and getting into a battle stance. After a brief pause, Anakin makes the first move with lunging forward, slashing at the Chief from different angles aggressively. But the Spartan is far more experienced, his enhanced instincts allowing him to block the slashes at the same speed as the Jedi can throw them. Then Chief gets the idea and allows Anakin to throw his weapon sharply to the side. Anakin takes advantage of the break and tries to stab the Master Chief in the chest. Chief reacts much faster, pulling his energy sword towards him and catching Anakin's lightsaber beam between the blades of the energy sword. Using his advantage, Chief throws his weight to the left, thrusting his weapon in the same direction. Since Chief's physical strength is much greater than Anakin's, he loses the grip on his lightsaber and it goes flying off in that direction, deactivating as it hits the concrete. Chief doesn't let up, charging at Anakin at speeds he never would have thought possible in the armor and slashes his energy sword upward. Anakin gasps in shock as he feels the energy sword cutting into his chest, splitting his rib cage and blood starts seeping out as he falls on his back.

Using what strength he has left, Anakin crawls away from Master Chief who is approaching him and holding his sword out, ready to end the Jedi. But he then turns around and raises his lightsaber to block Et Rex's attack, distracting him long enough for several clones to hoist Anakin up and carry him to a lone LAAT as the remaining clones desperately hold off the ODSTs and the newly arrived Spartan Fireteam Osiris. In the distance, Anakin can see the Fireteam's leader, the notorious Jameson Locke who has a bounty on his head higher than most Jedi do, fighting back to back with Chief, who is now holding an assault rifle in his hand, as they fire upon the clones and Et Rex. As the clones strap Anakin down and get him bacta so he can recover, he can only watch as Et Rex continues his fighting and an ODST throws a grenade at a nearby AT-TE that blasts an ODST in the back, the large shot killing him instantly. The explosion kills the grenade-throwing soldier instantly but knocks the Jedi to the ground, to which Locke steps on his opponent's chest. "You've got it backwards. You will pay for your crimes against the UNSC and her colonies." With those last words he could barely hear, he lifts up an M6H2 Magnum and fires it between Et Rex's eyes. The Force reeks of the death of the UNSC and clones, but most strongly the death of another Jedi as the LAAT flies away from the battle and towards Aayla's position where he will be safe for the brief time he needs to be recovered enough to fight again.

Back on the ground, Master Chief and the 4 members of Fireteam Osiris are using the downed AT-TE as cover to hold off the oncoming clones as they charge forward, the desire to avenge their defeated generals being their main thought. A squad of ODSTs were killed in the new wave of the attack while the one that Sergeant Tano was a part of before disappearing are now taking cover as well, massaging their various injuries. "Master Chief, it was an honor to fight at your side." Locke says, lifting up his battle rifle and firing at a clone in the chest, making him scream in pain, before the Spartan ducks back under cover.

After a few seconds, they all expected the clones to pour on top of them and end them. But to all their surprise, they all start screaming loudly with dozens of gunshots going off and a man with a profoundly strong Southern accent whooping loudly. Chief decides to take the risk and pokes his head out of their cover. To his surprise, a certain Spartan in cherry red armor and a Spartan in black armor with yellow stripes are standing in the middle of the street, dead clones all around them. Gesturing with his open hand behind him, Chief walks out of the cover with everyone else closely following. "Good to see you in one piece, soldier." The red armored man says, his Southern accent obvious.

"Colonel Sarge. Why aren't you aboard the Mother of Invention, sir?" Chief asks, not even looking at the carnage around him.

"Our ship was destroyed in the battle above, but we managed to evacuate everyone in time, sir. Also, since we heard about your situation, we all decided to help." Wash responds, holding his blaster rifle in hand.

"What do you mean 'all'?" Lieutenant Gutiérrez asks, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

Sarge then turns around to address the empty street. "Alright, maggots. Get out her on the double."

A split second later, a giant Mammoth rolls down the streets, with 4 Warthogs on either side, each soldier, male or female, is a Spartan wearing armor of different designs and models but share one thing in common: They are all colored either red, blue or colors closely related to them, like yellow and green. After a second, the Mammoth stops and even more soldiers jump out, including Agent Carolina and the rest of the Blood Gulch crew. "Alright, Chief. May I present to you the Reds and Blues, united for a common goal. To wipe out those who seek to destroy us!"

"Uh yeah." A blue soldier with grey shoulder pads, a grey stripe down his helmet and a yellow stripe on his right arm and leg says with a cranky tone in his voice. "When we're done, can we get our hands on a White Russian?"

"God, I hope so." Another blue soldier, this one with rectangular grey shoulder pads and a grey stripe on his right leg says.

"Alright. Here's what we're going to do." Chief responds, slightly baffled by how crazy these people are acting. "Colonel, take the Mammoth and have your men use the MAC cannons to blast apart the Heavy Cannons on the bridge to Manhattan. Spartan Fireteam Osiris and I will stay in this city and eliminate any surviving clones." Despite their numbers and leadership, Chief can't help but feel a sense of dread about letting former Freelancers and simulation troopers be in possession of UNSC military equipment that could take on the Forerunners and their technology.

"You got it, soldier. Men, today is a good day to die." Sarge calls to his small army, cocking his shotgun.

"Don't you worry, Sarge. I've got your front and back." Donut responds, hopping back onto the mounted grenade launcher on the back of a Warthog being driven by Grif.

"I don't know why, but right now, I suddenly feel very sorry for those Republic dogs." ODST Perry says, watching them fight over what Warthog they get to ride on or watch as Sarge gets into the shotgun seat while the ex-Freelancers get onto the Mammoth.

* * *

 **4:00 UNSC time**

 **Bridge to Manhattan, Unified Republic of North America**

 **Earth**

* * *

Jedi Knight Aayla Secura watches with anxiety as the Heavy Cannons start firing on the concrete walls that make up the deflector shields around Manhattan.

In the distance, ARC-170s are engaged in open combat with UNSC Longswords and Wasps while the Acclamators hang in the sky, adding their turbolasers to the chaos. The Jedi's anxiety started when she heard the explosion and saw the smoke pillars rising into the air. Then there was the lone LAAT that arrived there about 10 minutes before with an injured Skywalker. To know that the great Master Chief is nearby and that he managed to wound a Jedi of Anakin's caliber is only making her feel worse. Even though they are inside a giant blue shield generator that is small enough to keep the enemy fighters and tanks from shooting at them, it is large enough to encompass a large enough section of the wall so they can blast at it without problem. Commander Cody taps on her shoulder, breaking her from her musings.

"General, there's something coming towards us." He says, handing his binoculars to the Jedi. She takes the binoculars and looks out on the highway behind her. Sure enough, 2 Warthogs are charged towards them, each one loaded with Spartans in red and blue armor respectively.

"Get all men to fire on those Warthogs. Don't let them get near here." Aayla orders. Cody nods and orders all the spare men to take care of the oncoming UNSC troops.

But by the time the men are rallied and start firing, it's already too late. The Warthogs charge through the deflector shields, knocking the hastily made barricades aside and the turrets on each Warthog start blazing in all directions. It could have been Aayla's imagination, but she could have sworn the orange soldier shouted, "We're all gonna die!"

"Time to take out the trash!" A soldier in blue armor shouts, screaming loudly as the bullets fly in all directions. Aayla lifts up her hand and uses the Force to knock the Warthogs into each other violently.

A soldier in aqua-colored bulky armor and a bulbous visor on the helmet jumps out, holding up his energy sword before striking her. "Hey baby, when are you free? I would to show you my sword. Bow chicka bow wow." He says as he stabs at her. She parries the strike, confused as to what he's talking about. She then uses the Force on the soldier to knock him off-balance then kicks him. He falls to the ground and Aayla holds her lightsaber to his throat, but before she can deliver the killing blow, she jumps into the air to avoid getting blasted by a shotgun.

Tucker knows that even after their training, they will not be able to win this alone so when he sees Caboose fire on a clone soldier, Freckles making sure the targets are hit, he gets an idea. "Caboose!" He shouts.

"Yes, Tucker?" Caboose asks, while the clones firing on them.

"I just realized something involving her." He says, pointing to the Jedi. Aayla is now confused as to what they are up to. "She is trying to kill us. I think she killed your brother too."

"You…you mean the mean alien lady killed a brother I never knew I had? I…hate…" Caboose then let's loose a battle cry and to Aayla's shock, he charges through the clone soldiers, who scream as they fall off the edge and fall into the water below. "My name is Michael J. Caboose, and I hate mean alien ladies!" He shouts, his voice much deeper than before as he smashes his assault rifle into another clone's helmet, smashing it in and killing the clone instantly.

Aayla is shocked beyond belief to say the least. He doesn't have any midi-chlorians in him; how did he fall to the Dark Side like this? Caboose then charges between the heavy cannons and to everyone's amazement, he manages to lift the shield generator into the air before throwing it into the ocean as well. The remaining clones and Aayla, along with Commander Cody and a bandaged Anakin, surround the 4 red soldiers and the 2 blue soldiers.

"Who are you?" Aayla asks, honestly wondering who they are.

"Master Secura, they fought at the Chorusan Massacre. They are who the UNSC calls the Reds and Blues." Cody answers for them, holding up his blaster pistols

"Fuck you, man. You give orange dudes a bad name, just like Felix did." Grif responds, holding his Grif Shot in his hands and pointing it at Cody.

"Where are the rest of your men?" Anakin asks coldly.

"Why should we say anything to you?" Sarge asks, equally coldly.

"If you don't, then we will have to torture it out of you." Anakin answers. "So, you can tell us, or…"

"Ok, ok! We needed to destroy your shield generator so that they can attack you." Simmons shouts, holding his twin needlers up in surrender and panic in his voice.

"Wow. Nice fucking job, asshole." Grif deadpans with a sarcastic tone in his voice.

"I'm sorry. You know I don't handle pressure well." Simmons argues back.

"Where are they coming from?" Aayla pressures, desperate to know the answer. In response, a blast from a MAC cannon goes off, blasting one of the Heavy cannons and making it groan loudly before falling off the edge. They all look to the highway and watch as a massive Mammoth tank drives along the straight road, more soldiers in Spartan armor running on either side. They start firing on the clones who try desperately to hold them off while their temporary prisoners start firing on the Jedi as well. The duo struggle with holding all these enemies off and another MAC shot on top of the Mammoth goes off and the other Heavy Cannon collapses to the ground, small explosions going off and sending UNSC and Republic forces alike sprawling. However, the Cannon gets off one last shot which strikes the plated walls. This last shot is enough to make the entire wall explode into the island, leaving a gaping entrance.

"Well, that's not good." Grif states, looking at the destroyed wall.

"All clones, with me! Alert the rest of our forces that Manhattan has been breached and we will need their assistance on the double." Aayla orders, then starts running towards the base with Anakin and the last remaining clones following close behind.

"Sarge. We need to seal that breach now!" Wash shouts as he jumps off the Mammoth that just reached the warzone and runs to the main group.

"…Men, this war has just gotten interesting. Some of us may live, one of us may die. But I just want y'all to know that no matter what happens, I will go down like a man." Sarge says, cocking his shotgun.

"Awesome speech, sir! I just wanted to let you know; it was an honor fighting at your side." Simmons says, saluting his superior officer.

Tucker just groans at Simmons' attitude and the Reds and Blues continue their march towards the island. Unknown to any of them, a small orange beam zooms above them and flies in the same direction.

* * *

 _AN:_ Yup, a really long chapter. That's why I decided to wait until Tuesday to do the update.

So yeah, summer vacation is here for me! After a few weeks, I hope to get my old publishing schedule returned to normal and everything, but we'll see.

See you all next time when the 2nd Battle of Earth progresses, but from another group's point of view.

Later, and good luck on any school work you might have left. You are all almost done, if not, completely done!


	23. Chapter 23: Second Battle of Earth Part3

**November 14** **th**

 **2583/20 BBY**

 **2:30 UNSC time**

 **Onboard G9 Rigger Freighter**

 **In Hyperspace on route to Earth**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **person POV:**

* * *

The ride to Earth is short and tense.

Captain Rex, Sergeant Johnson, Rtas 'Vadum, and Ahsoka Tano sit in the side rooms of the small freighter while Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer and Lopez pilot the freighter that they recovered from Onderon and Obi-Wan Kenobi helps them keep the ship from falling apart.

"So…we were given a voice recorder that has mercenaries confess the laid-out plans of the Confederacy bastards. How exactly do we get the message out?" Johnson asks, holding the recorder that Locus gave them in his hands.

"Well, I think that we need to find a way to hijack all open communication channels and broadcast the message." Rex answers, looking down at the ground.

"Well," Palmer says, looking thoughtful, "I've heard rumors that in the case of an emergency, the UNSC had started creating a tower that would send broadcasts across all channels. They started building it based off the design of the Temple of Communication on Chorus."

"Well, then why aren't we going to Chorus? At least there we know there's a place there that will confirm that our plan will succeed. We're about to throw ourselves into the most dangerous battle of the Clone Wars." Rex asks.

"We need to go to Earth because there, we can save as many lives as possible." Rtas answers, sitting there and waiting anxiously for the battle to start.

Before the conversation can go any further, the door slides open and Sarah Palmer walks in. "Everyone, we are approaching our destination. Get ready." She says before walking away.

The occupants of the room then stand up, preparing their weapons one last time before walking to the front of the ship, where Kenobi and Lopez are working together to pilot the freighter. Before them is the narrow light blue tube of swirling light that is hyperspace travel. Kenobi then pulls the lever on his side towards him and the freighter pulls out of hyperspace. The scene that they arrive at is one that they were somewhat expecting, but still horrified at the sight. Republic Acclamators and Venators staying in a dangerously tight bundle, sending out turbolaser shots and fighters to try and curb the largest UNSC fleet the Republicans have ever seen and their own fighters. All around the battle, scraps of ships that were destroyed in the fight drift aimlessly.

"May I present to you the Home Fleet. The crown jewel of the UNSC military." Johnson says proudly, staring at the battle with slight awe.

"And that same fleet is attacking my men now." Rex answers dryly, although he too is impressed with the magnitude of the scene before them and the vast planet that is the UNSC homeworld. "So, that's your homeworld."

"Yes and no." Palmer replies, then continues. "This is where the UNSC is headquartered at, along with the UEG, but most of us come from different systems across our galaxy."

The freighter flies towards the giant battle, watching as a Strident-class heavy frigate pulls out of the larger group and flies away, with a particularly cocky Venator following close behind. With a jolt, Rex realizes what is going on, but it's too late. The Venator had put itself into range of an ODP, which takes advantage of the open space and fires a MAC shot. The Venator tries to get out of the way, but the bullet punches through the center of the Star Destroyer, cracking it in 2 and the halves start floating away from each other. "So much death…" Kenobi mutters, pulling his eyes away from the scene. The Force is radiating the pain of all those who are dead because of this invasion.

"We need to find a way around the battle so we can set down on the planet safely." Ahsoka says calmly.

"We can't do that, Ahsoka." Rex says sternly, watching the defense platforms, now understanding why they aren't firing. They don't want to risk the lives of their own men, so they are waiting for a clear shot without anyone on their side possibly getting in the way.

"He's right. If we go around the battle, we put ourselves at risk of being shot at by the defense platforms. Even 30 years ago, the platforms were powerful enough to punch through a shielded Covenant vessel with ease." Rtas answers, watching the battle and mentally calculating the possible routes they could take that won't lead to them getting blown back to Onderon.

"Well, I suppose I could try out something Anakin would do in fly right through the middle. That would save us time." Kenobi adds, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"That's suicide. This dump does not have the maneuverability that the fighters do. We would we torn to pieces." Palmer nearly shouts, gripping onto the rifle in her hands tighter than before.

"Except we don't have much time. The longer we argue among ourselves, the more people will die. Right now, General Kenobi's idea is the only plausible one." Rex answers stoically.

A long moment of silence passes before Palmer sighs in resignation. "Fine. We go through the middle of the fight."

"Well then, we best be on our way." Kenobi says, then primes the controls. "Let's do this, Lopez."

"[Yes, lets. The sooner this suicide solution is done, the sooner I can die and never see the assholes who made me again.]" Lopez mutters, also working the controls before him with surprising efficiency. The freighter lunges forward and dives under a pair of Republic fighters chasing after a UNSC Wasp. The freighter then spirals downward and straightens out, flying towards the backside of a Republic Acclamator that is firing at 2 Paris-class frigates, both parallel to the ship. The Acclamator continues spitting out fighters particularly on the Paris frigate on the right, firing turbolasers much more brutally on the already-damaged ship. The deflector shields had already been depleted and the heavy barrage particularly on the bridge area depletes what is left and the frigate starts exploding, knocking the Acclamator away and causing the other frigate to evade. The freighter pulls upward in time, flying past the bridge of the Acclamator and skimming the top with the downward-pointing wings before flying off the top and making its way towards another Acclamator, its turbolasers blazing in all directions as well. A split second later, 2 MAC shots goes off and they both punch through the transport ship, making it split in half, the insides spilling out into open space.

"Hang on everyone!" Kenobi shouts then brings the freighter into the wreckage of the ship, weaving left, right, up, and down. It turns out this was a smart move since a missile tried to hit the freighter only to hit the wreckage. After a few seconds of dangerous maneuvering, the ship then flies through the only open docking bay door, avoiding another missile strike from a Broadsword that is tailing them.

"[What the fuck were you thinking?]" Lopez demands once they safely exit the wreckage.

They all look in the direction of the shots and they nearly freeze in place. There, floating in the middle of space, are 5 new ships. The 2 largest ships are the _Infinity_ and the _Pillar of Winter_ respectively. "So, the UNSC is not holding anything back anymore." Johnson comments, watching as the new ships also join the fight and rain fire on the Republic fleet.

The Republicans can only watch in awe as they charge into the clustered battle. "What's with the Halycons following the _Pillar of Winter_?" Rex asks, finding that rather odd.

"Those ships make up the _Pillar of Winter_ 's personal escort. According to rumor, they can come together and charge up the power behind the MAC shots, but if it's true, that ability would require months of experimenting before it can be used in battle effectively." Palmer explains, then the freighter starts shaking violently again.

"What's going on now?" Rtas asks, looking around for any fighters coming their way.

Lopez pushes some buttons on the screen before him and the image of the ship they are flying appears on the screen along with a yellow arrow following close behind. "[We have not shaken that asshole off yet.]" He says to Kenobi who looks up.

"I'm sorry, but I do not understand Spanish." Kenobi says. Lopez just makes the rolling eyes gesture and lifts his right hand off his steering wheel to point at the screen before him. Kenobi bends over so he can see as well. "Everyone, we still have one last fighter coming towards us. We need to shake him off. Hold on tight."

With those words, Kenobi starts swerving the freighter around in a zig-zag motion to avoid the autocannons on the Broadsword as they approach the still-disabled _Cairo_ Defense Platform. Kenobi and Lopez work together to keep the freighter moving, not maintaining a straight course for more than a second. The chase goes on until Kenobi pulls off a very risky maneuver of violently swerving to the right. The right wing falls off after striking the main MAC cannon. "This is why I don't fly the way Anakin does. It's complete suicide." Kenobi mutters, as he directs the ship towards the planet and starts flying down.

"At least you admit it." Rtas mutters, then grips the handle even harder when the freighter starts shaking violently again.

"Well, there goes our maneuverability." Johnson says sarcastically, watching as the bottom wing flies into space, having been shot off by the Broadsword. The exterior of the freighter starts glowing orange and starts shaking even more violently than before, tiny pieces of the freighter breaking off and vaporizing.

The shaking is so strong that Kenobi and Lopez have to grip their steering wheels even tighter than before and everyone else on the ship get knocked to the ground. "This primitive scrap heap will not survive much longer!" Rtas shouts as the roaring outside the freighter gets louder and they start flying through the clouds of the planet.

"We already lost both of our wings, so a crash landing the best case possible." Rex says quickly, watching as the freighter clears the clouds and stretching out before them is vast green and right in front of them is a small warehouse.

"Everyone, I can't evade at all. Brace for impact!" Kenobi shouts, gripping the wheel to the point where his knuckles start turning white. The rest of the passengers run to one of the nearby rooms and brace themselves against the wall. Lopez starts letting out a mechanical battle cry as the freighter gets closer and closer to the small, abandoned warehouse and crashes into it. The impact knocks everyone onboard unconscious.

* * *

 **30 minutes later…**

* * *

Kenobi feels his face resting on a hard, rocky surface and his eyes start twitching before his eyelids slide open. Slowly, he sits up and has a look around as to where they are. To Kenobi, it looks like they are in the middle of an underground cavern full of crates and ancient-looking metal platforms. Suddenly, he hears groaning and turns around, his hand reaching for his lightsaber. On his right, the freighter lies on the ground and on fire. The twin blades of Rtas' blue energy sword sticks out of the side, quickly cutting a rectangular shape before the blades pull back inside and the cut sheet of metal goes flying deeper into the cavern, its crashing echoing in the cave.

The Sangheili Shipmaster jumps out of the ship first, with Ahsoka and Sergeant Johnson following close behind. After them comes Captain Rex holding up Commander Palmer. "Are you all right?" Rex asks.

"Yes, Captain. I must have sprained my ankle slightly from the impact. It's nothing to worry about." Palmer responds then pulls herself back onto her feet.

"Hey, where's Lopez?" Ahsoka asks, looking around. The others do the same thing, realizing the brown-armored soldier isn't with them.

"[Right here.]" Lopez says, his headless body standing up, much to everyone's surprise. Lopez's body then walks over to where his head is lying and after picking it up, screws it back into place. "[I'm sorry to say I'm used to shit like that happening.]"

"All right, let's get going. I got a bad feeling about this place." Kenobi says, activating his lightsaber. The rest of the small group also raise their weapons before proceeding deeper into the cave. The fire from the demolished freighter casts an orange glow over the cave, illuminating some of the metal crates that line the left side of the metal bridge. The rusted metal ground creaks dangerously under their feet after each step is taken.

"Let me find a way to turn these on." Johnson says, walking towards a tall metal rod on the right side of the platform, leaning against a flimsy and decaying railing. "God, these things are ancient. But with a little luck…" He adds, connecting wires together before he lets out a deep growl and punches it. Light suddenly fills the cave as the giant lights, along with several others, activate simultaneously. The scene before everyone makes them pause in their eagerness to stop the violence raging on the surface. Metal crates upon metal crates of weapons, armor and the Powerloaders just standing there, rust covering everything to the point where they are unusable.

"What is all of this? The UNSC or ONI don't use any of these weapons in battle. These look ancient." Ahsoka asks, leaping over the flimsy metal railing and walking forward, picking up one of the rusted over rifles, with specks of the original dark green color still visible on the side and an indention also on the side, flashing the number 36 in red lights.

"These weapons are primitive, indeed. From the looks of them, they haven't been used in centuries." Rtas remarks, picking up one of the rusted pulse rifles lying on an open crate and looking at it with interest.

"Shipmaster, you are right. These weapons haven't been used in centuries. Have a look for yourself." Palmer replies, jerking her rifle in her hands to the side of one of the crates that is sandwiched between 2 larger metal boxes. Everyone walks towards it and stares at the logo on the side. It is a W overlapping a Y and the insignia 'Weyland-Yutani' written on the bottom.

"We-Yu, huh? Should have known those sons of bitches would have a hidden facility that wasn't confiscated." Johnson says darkly, glaring at the symbol.

"What is this 'Weyland-Yutani'? I have never heard of it." Rex asks, staring at the symbol with interest.

"Yes, I would like to know as well. Even I have never heard of them." Rtas adds, looking to the Sergeant and Spartan Commander.

"You wouldn't have. Weyland-Yutani was a super-corporation that was at the peak of its influence in the 23rd century, about 300 years ago. They developed various weapons and methods on terraforming various planets for colonizing. They had always been suspected of being involved in shady dealings, but no one could provide concrete evidence. That is, until a former branch of the UNSC, the United States Colonial Marines sent hundreds of marines to a desert planet to investigate the disappearance of another ship, the _Sulaco_. The measly 100 who returned from the mission reported to their superiors that the corporation had sent mercenaries to the planet to kill everyone, resulting in a battle that cost the lives of hundreds of marines, 2 warships and a colony on the planet. Once the ONI interrogated an android that the survivors brought back, it listed enough crimes involving Weyland-Yutani for the ONI to immediately dissolve it." Palmer responds, having heard stories of the corporation and the battle during her training to be a Spartan-IV.

"Damn, I almost forgot about androids. I've heard that those guys haven't been used in centuries. They were declared obsolete after several uprisings that resulted in many deaths, the destruction of numerous warships and a commerical freighter, and replaced with Artifical Intelligence programs." Ahsoka mutters.

"And we stumbled into one of this corporations' facilities." Rex responds, looking around warily and lifting both his blaster pistols. He stares at the pistols as they spark slightly and steam starts curling out from it. "Great. My pistols were damaged in the crash." He then sheathes his pistols at his side.

"We need to find a way out of here. And fast." Kenobi adds, staring intently at the smooth cave and enough weapons to equip an army just lying around, even if they are useless.

"How exactly do we do that, Jedi? Scale the walls?" Johnson asks, sarcastically.

"[Am I the only one who can see the huge-ass elevator?]" Lopez asks, staring at the large elevator at the end of the large cave.

"I'm sorry, Lopez, I can't understand what you are saying." Kenobi says, then follows the Spanish-speaking robot's gaze to the ancient elevator. "Well, it may be primitive, but that elevator is our only way of escaping this place. Good job, Lopez."

"You don't belong here, you know." A calm, borderline emotionless voice says. The group jumps, either pulling out their weapons or activating them and turning to face whoever spoke. They come face to face with a tall, lengthy man wearing a surprisingly clean grey uniform with the symbol of the Weyland-Yutani corporation sewed into the uniform. The man himself has short black hair, each half going in opposite directions, a long pale face and crystal blue eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" Johnson demands, staring at him intently.

"My name is Fred. It is a great pleasure to meet you." Fred says, bowing to the group in respect.

"It is nice to meet you, Fred. I am Obi-Wan Kenobi. My companions are Ahsoka Tano, Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer, Captain Rex, Lopez, Sergeant Major Avery Johnson and Fleetmaster Rtas 'Vadum." Kenobi replies, gesturing to each person as he introduces them.

"What are you doing down here?" Rtas asks, pointing his activated energy sword at Fred's throat.

Fred's face changes from stoic and professional to complete surprise, staring at the Sangheili then turning to look at Ahsoka. "Strange. I acknowledge that you are alien of differing species, but I am uncertain as to what species you are." Fred states, looking at them with great interest.

"[What is this guy's problem?]" Lopez asks, staring at him incredulously. The UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios have co-existed for decades and the Bitter Wars has been happening for almost a year, so knowledge of hundreds of alien species is common.

Fred stares at Lopez before responding in his calm manner. "I can assure you, sir. There is nothing wrong with me."

"[Wait. You can understand Spanish? What the fuck?]" Lopez asks, incredulously and shocked. The only other person Lopez had met who understood Spanish is the ex-mercenary who saved their lives.

"[Indeed, I do.]" Fred replies in perfect Spanish, his attention now on the robot.

"[I'm sorry. I'm used to being surrounded by idiots who don't understand me all the time.]"

"I can see that, Lopez." Fred responds, then turns to Johnson when the man lets out a sharp cough.

"I knew there was something different about you. You're not an actual human being, you're a synthetic man."

"My creator always preferred to call me a 'synthetic,' but I prefer the term android myself. What year is it?" Fred asks, staring at their weapons with his piercing gaze. They look much more advanced than anything he has seen since he went into his cryo pod.

"It is 2583." Palmer replies crisply.

"Well, I can see that this time is vastly different than my own." Fred remarks, his brief moment of shock being replaced with a small smile working his way onto his face.

"Wait a second. If you were asleep in a cryo pod for centuries, how did you manage to wake up at all?" Rex asks, finally getting suspicious on that.

"I am not certain. My thesis is that after this facility for my creators got shut down, they activated the several motion sensors and scanners installed here so that if someone who isn't from the corporation comes down, all the cryo pods can activate and their security forces can clear out the intruders." Fred replies calmly.

"[Wait. What the fuck did you say?]" Lopez asks.

"There they are. Kill them!" A rough male voice shouts and numerous bullet shots go off. The group take cover behind the crates as about 24 men in full white battle armor and what looks like black goggles and mouthpiece cover his face and a black stripe running down each shoulder. Palmer sticks out from behind her cover and fires her rifle, the bullets piercing the centuries-old armor and hitting him in the shoulder. The man screams and goes down while his companions continue firing their pulse rifles, with 1 soldier wielding a huge flamethrower.

"Alright. To do this, we need to work together." Palmer says over the noise.

"Agreed. Commander, you and everyone who can use a gun hold the line here. General Kenobi, Sergeant Tano, we will take on the enemy with our energy swords. Hold nothing back."

Obi-Wan nods and the trio run around the cave, with the mercenaries retaining their attention on the Spartan commander and the rest of the group as the firefight continues. Rex is using a better-looking pulse rifle in the battle as well, but the gun's locking up is giving him problems. Rtas lets loose a battle cry and slams his energy sword into the flamethrower-wielding soldier's chest. He lets out a grunt the doubles over and falls to the ground, dead.

The rest of the soldiers turn to meet the 3 sword fighters and pause as they take in the alien looks of Rtas and Ahsoka. That moment of pause lets Palmer and her group get several shots in, killing 5 more enemies. Between the blazing guns and the 3 masters of the sword, the mercenaries are quickly killed.

"Your skills in combat are impressive." Fred says, coming out from his cover and looking at them with an expression of respect. "Thank you for freeing me from the influence of my creators. They were…unpleasant to be around."

"You're welcome. You can start helping us by telling us how we can operate the elevator so we can get out of this pit." Rex answers, glaring at the employee's corpses.

Fred doesn't say anything for a few long moments, as he walks over to the bodies and stares at the soldier's corpses. "You can't operate it. I know how it works, but if what you say is true and that I've been asleep for 3 centuries, the elevator won't work."

"Well, Mr. Optimistic, do you have any other ideas on how we can get out of here?" Ahsoka asks, a sarcastic tone in her voice.

"…Actually, I do know of a way. Follow me." With those words, Fred runs off towards the metal bridge, and after jumping over the railing, he walks down the path towards a rather squat building that is square-shaped and has no windows anywhere.

Soon, the rest of the group follows close behind and they walk to the door to the bunker. As they reach the 6' tall door, they notice that the door is sealed shut and a password lock dead in the center.

"Oh, dear. I doubt anyone besides Mr. Weyland himself would know the password to get in here. I'll have to hack into the door." Fred says calmly, but Obi-Wan walks towards the door as well.

"Don't worry, Fred. I can get us in quicker." He then activates his lightsaber and stabs it into the door. He then twists it downward until he makes a large circle in the sheet of metal. The Jedi then uses the Force and pulls the circle of metal out and releases it instantly, the metal clanging on the ground violently.

"Fascinating." Fred mutters as he walks into the small bunker, with everyone else following close behind and their weapons at the ready. Inside lies 25 open cryo pods of a model that hasn't been seen since the 23rd century all lined up in rows of 2, each facing opposite directions. On the walls lining the facility are full of lockers. Fred starts walking to the lockers and examining each one carefully. "I suppose I should explain what I'm doing. As the corporation was about to go out of business, the former CEO tried desperately to find new technologies, weapons, anything that would get them a better reputation. So they raided the facilities of other older companies that have gone out of business long ago. This facility holds everything that was salvaged from Aperture Labs, a corporation that went out of business centuries before because everyone was mysteriously killed. Ah, here we are." He then pulls open one of the lockers, revealing a full suit of battle armor that is surprisingly clean along with a pulse rifle without any rust on it. Fred then walks forward and pulls on the rifle.

An audible click can be heard and the cryo pods slide apart and a new platform creaks and groans dangerously as it rides to the top. On the platform lies 5 strange cubes with grey ends on each and in the middle, 3 crates are set up in a triangular design, and in the center of the 3 is a black stand holding a white gun with black appendages sticking out at the front barrel which is also black. The tops of the crates are off, revealing that 2 of them are full of boxes of kits lying horizontally for making something the boxes call a 'Sentry Turret;' a white, oval-shaped robot with a single red eye in the center and 3 sharp grey legs to hold it in place. Next to the robot is a red dialogue bubble that advertises the turret as 'Now Talking!'

"Kriff. These things remind me of battle droids." Rex remarks, staring down at the kits with an unreadable expression since he is still wearing his helmet.

"My God." Johnson says, causing everyone to look at him. He is standing in front of the 3rd box, his assault rifle sheathed as he holds up a medium-sized white ball with a handle on top and on bottom with a single black eye in the middle and 2 dots on the top-left side. "Is this what I think it is?"

"A personality core." Palmer mutters, slight awe in her voice. Upon most of the groups' questioning look, she continues, "During my time when I trained to be a Spartan, we were all taught about various histories, including the origins of shipboard AIs. After the androids were declared obsolete, the UNSC stumbled across a crate full of deactivated personality cores in an underground facility. They experimented with the unique personalities each core possessed, and after a while, they combined the personalities to create the first Artificial Intelligence that can install themselves onto portable chips at will."

"Wow." Ahsoka says after a long pause from hearing the history lesson.

"I am interested in hearing more about what has happened on the surface, but we came here for this." Fred walks past the crates and grabs the gun off the stand. "This is a prototype of the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. Captain, I believe this will be a suitable replacement for your damaged weapons." He then throws the portal gun at Rex, which he catches with ease.

"Why aren't you going to use it?" Rex asks, as he examines the gun's weight and how it operates.

"I was built to work for science. I have no training on how to use a gun nor do I intend to. Consider it a token of my gratitude for freeing me from my creators."

Rex continues examining it before slipping it onto his right arm. "Huh. It's lighter than I was expecting. Here's the trigger. Let's see what it does." Rex then points the gun at one of the far walls and fires. A light blue ball of light fires from it and lands on the far wall, producing an oval-shaped wall of swirling light blue light. "Uh…right. How about a second time?" He turns around and fires again at the wall in front of him. This time, an orange ray shoots out and strikes the wall, producing an orange oval. The difference now is that he can see out of the blue portal, at least he guesses since he can see his own back. Curious, he walks through it and comes out the 1st portal he shot. "Damn. If the CIS gets a hold of this, the war would be over for the Republic."

"Indeed, Captain. We need to get out of here; we don't have much time." Kenobi says, using the Force to run out of the bunker, his Jedi cloak billowing behind him.

Not wanting to be left behind, everyone else runs out of the bunker and towards the elevator shaft. Once they regroup with Obi-Wan, they look up to the ceiling and see him using the Force to push aside any trapdoors that would hinder them. After a few seconds, the security measures are pushed aside and their route to the surface is revealed. "Captain, fire your new gun at the wall to our left as high up as possible then at our feet."

"Yes sir." Rex says, then complies with the order. Seconds later, they all jump through the portal and use their momentum to land on the corridor of the top floor.

"Right. Guns out and be prepared for anything." Palmer barks, holding her rifle in hand once again. They all walk out of the corridor, coming to an empty warehouse that leads to the outside world, the night sky and endless grassy fields being the only things that can be seen.

Slowly and cautiously, they walk out of the warehouse to get a better view of their surroundings. In the far distance, the city of New York can be seen and large explosions go off, showing that a large-scale fight is already underway. Even farther away is the island of Manhattan, with only the large deflector shield-based dome being visible. Overhead, the battle is starting to really get intense, with a single Republic ship firing turbolasers at the UNSC fighters that are flying around in all directions.

"That doesn't look too good." Ahsoka mutters as the smoke curls into the sky.

"Alright. Where is this communication tower with the ability to broadcast on all channels the treachery?" Rex asks stoically, ignoring Ahsoka's sarcastic comment. Deep down, he suspects that Ahsoka's time with UNSC troops has changed her in more ways than one.

"It's in Manhattan. But it's protected by a shield generator since the UEG holds its annual meetings there. We need to find another way in." Palmer responds, then a split second later, another explosion goes off and the shields start wavering.

"[Oh shit.]" Lopez states, realizing that the Republic must have succeeded in damaging the barrier.

"We better find a way in. If we can't find stop this violence now, there will be no escape for any of us." Kenobi states, staring at the city with a sympathetic look.

"Alright. The key to making it through alive is to get ourselves some reliable protection. The second we walk exposed through the streets, we will be blown to pieces by the crossfire." Rex says, raising his portal gun and checks their perimeter one last time-when he notices something that makes him smile for the first time that day. "You might want to see this."

Everyone follows Rex's gaze and they blink in surprise. For lying in the middle of the field is a single AT-TE in surprisingly good condition. Admittedly, there are a handful of bullet holes from sniper shots in the glass that protects the driver, bullets imbedded in the side of the ship and the corpses of clones and an entire battalion of marines in the distance. "It may be damaged, but it will have to do." Palmer states, looking at it with an almost condescending look.

"[I'm not looking forward to this.]" Lopez mutters, but climbs up the ladder on the back and climbs around to the pilots' seat since he is no doubt expected to drive it. The rest of the small group climbs onto the tank, and take up certain posts on the side of the tank while Lopez fiddles with the controls, figuring out how the tank's controls work.

Eventually, Lopez finds the button to activate the AT-TE and presses it. The tank whirs and groans violently, damaged from what the UNSC inflicted on it. "Get this thing moving already!" Palmer shouts with a hint of anger in her voice, smashing a fist into the side of the tank. The AT-TE suddenly lets out a long shudder before standing up on all 6 legs, knocking the passengers off-balance for a brief moment. Then the Republic tank starts surging forward, still shuddering and groaning but to a lesser degree.

While Rtas walks into the command center inside the AT-TE with Rex, Fred and Johnson so they can formulate a strategy on how best to proceed, Palmer, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan maintain patrol duty in case things go south. Ahsoka gets into a meditating position on the front of the tank to clear her mind of the death that is radiating from the planet and Obi-Wan walks towards Palmer. "You should not let your anger get the better of you. It will leave you wide open to be killed."

"You think I don't know that? I'm just tired of nothing going right for us." Palmer responds, a touch of bitterness still in her voice.

"Sometimes you need to have faith that in the end, it will turn out alright."

"What does…" Palmer asks but then the sounds of whirring engines fill the air. Her eyes widen in shock and she looks at Kenobi. "Grab Ahsoka and stay out of sight. My motion scanners indicate we have a Mammoth about 15 klicks away from our current position and closing fast."

The Jedi's eyes also widen and he only nods, running to the barrel of the tank to alert Ahsoka of the incoming threat. Both of them have seen Mammoth tanks in action, and Kenobi is honestly scared of the tank that is built for war. The AT-TE stops moving and the sounds of the approaching Mammoth get louder and louder before the desert-colored war machine appears in all its glory behind them. Palmer ducks to her side to stay out of sight.

of the AT-TE, watching as the Mammoth drives past them, manned by dozens of Spartans of differing colors and designs. "Come on guys. Can't we stop for one second to admire the scenery?" A Spartan in lightish-red armor asks pleadingly.

"No Donut." Another soldier in red armor responds with a gruff voice. Palmer's eyes widen as she realizes that it's the famous Blood Gulch crew, along with dozens of other soldiers.

"Come on Sarge. We need to not be in such a rush sometimes. You already know that you guys have both my front and back."

"Shut up Donut!" A chorus of voices shout as the Mammoth rolls past them without sparing them a second look before hitting the main highway, smashing past toppled cars and trucks as it continues

The backdoor swings open and the occupants look out, watching the Mammoth riding away. "Who were they?" Fred asks, confusion in his voice for the first time.

Lopez runs towards them before stopping. "[Those assholes are my makers. They're not that smart.]"

"It doesn't matter who they are. It's pretty obvious that they are heading to the city like we are."

"We need to find another way to get to our destination. This AT-TE will only make things harder." Ahsoka adds, looking at their tank. She has seen a Mammoth in open combat and even manned by simple marines, the tank was able to destroy 5 AT-TEs before it was destroyed when the UNSC tried establishing a base on Dantooine.

"I can see the city from here. I'll just use my new gun to take us there." Rex states, raising the portal gun in his hand and looking at one of the many skyscrapers in the distance.

"Let me help. May the Force guide your aim." Kenobi says, raising his hand and closing his eyes in concentration. Rex nods and raises his portal gun to one of the buildings, focusing with all his might then fires a blue ray. They stand there for several minutes before Rex shrugs and fires an orange portal at his feet.

The orange portal materializes and shows nothing but sky and a long grey platform. "It worked." Rtas mutters, surprise in his voice.

"Let's get going." Rex states then falls through the portal. Not wanting to be left behind and eventually be ambushed by either the Republic or UNSC, they fall through the portal. The 1st portal Rex shot is a truly remarkable one, for it lands them on a large grey metal platform that overlooks the city of New York. The Mammoth from earlier is now on the bridge that leads to Manhattan, riding towards a set of heavy cannons and Republic troops that are surrounding a small group of the soldiers from earlier. A split second later, the Mammoth fires a shot from the miniature MAC cannon that the Mammoth boasts and destroys the Heavy Cannon instantly. Seconds later, the concrete wall that supports the barrier around the island starts crumbling, with pieces of the wall falling into the water.

"That doesn't look good." Johnson states as watches with his binoculars as the shields start failing before they fizzle out altogether. In the distance, he can see the Jedi Knight Aayla Secura fleeing towards the city with a handful of clones who are supporting an injured Anakin Skywalker. Overhead, Republic fighters start rallying towards the larger ship to coordinate their bombing strikes.

"We are running out of time. We need to get to that tower now." Palmer states, pointing towards the tallest tower in the distance. It is a tall grey tower in the center of the city and is structured like a rod with a pointed tip.

Rex watches the city with interest, mentally calculating where would be the best place to shoot his portals at. "No matter what happens, the Force will be with us." Ahsoka says with optimism.

"Let's hope so. For everyone's sake." Rex says then fires an orange ray at one of the distant buildings. As they walk through the new portal, a single Republic Acclamator descends from the sky after abandoning its previous base on Earth; for this is where the last fight for the battle of Earth will be fought.

* * *

 _AN:_ Yup, this chapter was more of a filler than anything else.

Call me insane or stuff like that, but I dedicated this chapter to the other series' in this story. Don't ask me why, but I thought that Weyland-Yutani from the Aliens series raiding Aperture to find something to keep themselves in business sounds like something they would do.

I am so sorry for having a botched-up update session. The start of my summer vacation has been…busy to say the least. I promise to try and make a more thorough update session. Until my new school starts, but one thing at a time.

As compensation for my terrible update session, I will be starting a new story next week featuring Camp Camp. I like to think of it as celebration for the start of Camp Camp Season 2. Trust me, once I work out everything, I think that it will be a real treat for me to write.

Anyway, see you next time when the Second Battle of Earth comes to a close.


	24. Chapter 24: Second Battle of Earth Part4

**November 13** **th**

 **2583/20 BBY**

 **4:15 UNSC Time**

 **Main Highway**

 **Manhattan Island**

 **United Republic of North America**

 **Earth**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

"Private Day, step on it! Do you want to die out here?"

"Fuck no Officer!" The Army Private shouts, pressing his foot on the acceleration pedal as the standard-issue Warthog speed through the empty streets.

Ever since the barrier to Manhattan was destroyed, the Republic had been converging on the city after they figured out that the UEG's Senators haven't been evacuated in time. Most of the civilians had been evacuated to a safe planet already, but some were left behind and are either dead from the attack or part of a resistance force that tries to reclaim their homes, with some victory. The Republic has been abandoning their former bases across the planet and converging on the island city so their mission can succeed.

The civilians and UNSC soldiers who can still fight even after helping to reclaim New Austin had been ordered to relocate to Manhattan because it would be too risky to use the Space Elevators at this point. Overhead in the sky, 5 Republic ARC-170s fly in formation before dropping photon bombs on the ground before the Warthog, blowing the concrete road in front of them. The Warthog goes flying into the air before crashing to the ground and rolling on the ground for several yards before stopping. The passengers all get out, groaning as they do so. Officer Deckerson looks to the sky and watches as the ARC-170s start engaging a trio of Wasps, and after a few tense minutes, the Wasps destroy the 170s, sending them crashing to the ground. Suddenly, out of the smoke, shouts and gunfire, a small group of clones runs through the wrecked streets, searching for enemy soldiers. As they do so, a motorcycle ridden by Alicia Redfield speeds towards them, with the woman holding her blaster rifle in one of her hands. She fires the weapon constantly, picking off a handful of clones before they realize what is happening. When they do so, the last duo fire at Alicia as she drives through their ranks, running over another clone while she's at it. Then, 2 sniper rifle shots go off, causing the heads of the clones to blow up before their bodies hit the ground. Deckerson gets onto the comm device that he was given. "Good work, Sergeant."

"Thank you, Officer. But you need to get to cover so we can lay suppressing fire. Motion sensors indicate that an entire battalion of marines are at a standoff with a squad of clones. Redfield out." The comms close off immediately after that.

"Come on. We need to get going." Deckerson says to his companions, hoisting Private Potter up and supporting him since his leg is now twisted at an unnatural angle due to the crash and Alicia drives her motorcycle into the gaping main entrance to an empty skyscraper. As they enter the building, they miss Aayla walking through the streets, with a handful of clones at her sides and Anakin who is still clutching his bandaged chest.

"Alright. Everyone, stick together. I sense that we are closing in on our destination." Aayla says, looking around for any ambushers.

They continue walking down the wrecked street, ignoring the sounds of distant battle. "Get down!" Anakin suddenly shouts, ducking behind a toppled truck. Aayla does so, along with 2 clones, but the last one gets the top half of his body blown up by a high-powered energy blast.

"Hold your position." An angry voice shouts. Anakin peaks out from behind the cover and uses the Force to pull himself back when a sniper rifle shot goes off.

"Fireteam Apollo is back. I fought them on the Defense Platform." Anakin says, then winces and holds his chest.

"Men, fire at will at the Spartans. We need to hold off long enough until reinforcements arrive." Aayla says. Their last troops nod and duck out of cover to fire blaster shots but duck back under again when a flurry of bullets are shot towards them.

What no one notices is a single Phantom emblazoned red flying towards the communication tower and breach the docking bay on the back side.

* * *

 **4:15 UNSC Time**

 **Top floor of UNSC Barracks**

* * *

For the last few minutes, everyone has been raiding the weaponry that's left on the racks of the Barracks.

The island is a complete battlefield right now, so in order to make it through the city, let alone breach an ONI facility, they decided to break into a set of barracks and equip themselves with weapons. Lopez kept his weapons and didn't grab any, neither did Ahsoka or Rex, but most just replenished the ammo on their weapons, Rtas took a brand-new plasma rifle in the case of Sangheili joining in an attack and even Fred had no choice but to take a Magnum in case things go even farther south. "Alright. Now, how exactly are we going to breach the Communication Tower?" Kenobi asks, looking through the dark sky and smoke clouds at the imposing ONI facility.

"It's not going to be easy. They built that tower to be impenetrable, so I have no doubt that they built it with the hardest metal the UNSC can manufacture, reinforced windows so they will be 10x harder to shatter, with emergency shutters and who-knows how many ONI agents and potential marines patrolling each floor." Palmer says grimly, also staring at the building.

Lopez looks around, seeing if there's anything that would help. Then his eyes fall on an open locker, where dozens of thruster packs are lined in neat rows. After running several calculations in his mind, Lopez walks forward and grabs one of the thruster packs. "[Hey guys. I just want you to know that I have run the calculated and my results are: Let's fucking use this.]"

Fred stares at the thruster pack, looking at the pack with great interest, before speaking up. "You are right, Lopez. If we all apply enough velocity into these packs and strike it simultaneously, the force behind it could be enough to smash through those shutters and one of the windows and gain entry."

Everyone looks at one another, before Kenobi speaks up. "Well, this is not the most reckless plan I have ever heard of. Get suited up."

* * *

 **4:30 UNSC Time**

 **Bridge to Manhattan**

* * *

"Where the fuck do these guys keep coming from?" Grif shouts with intense exasperation as he fires his Grif Shot at some clones who are charging at them.

"You got me there. But keep firing anyway, dirtbag." Sarge shouts, firing his shotgun at a reckless clone who is charging towards them. Wash had told them that Admiral Osmen had ordered them to hold their position here and hold the Republic back as long as possible until reinforcements arrive. Something that has gotten Carolina furious and kicking Warthogs around out of anger for several minutes.

Suddenly, 30 clones on speeders and an AT-TE charges down the rocky streets towards the Mammoth that is parked sideways, blocking the entire bridge.

Wash swivels the turret on the front of the Mammoth to the speeders and fires round after round of bullets. The wide spray of bullets misses mostly but some of them strike the riders in the arms or chests, throwing 15 of the clones off their speeders and rolling on the ground. As the other speeders approach, a band of 7 red and blue soldiers run out of the Mammoth. "For the glory of the Blue Army, let the great Crusade begin! Our great gods shall not be desecrated by your unholy ways. Suck my rockets!" A Blue Soldier shouts, lifting up a heat-seeking rocket launcher. He fires both rockets and while the clones cleanly dodge them, the rockets turn around and hit the backs of separate speeders bringing up the rear. They simultaneously explode in large balls of light, but the rest of the group keeps speeding on, long black lances in their hands and ready to impale them all. The AT-TE raises its primary barrel to the Mammoth, but its miniature MAC cannon is much faster, firing and obliterating the AT-TE and making it crash to the ground. As the speeders continue to close the distance, one of the side hatches opens up and a Mongoose speeds out, being driven by Carolina and Wash riding in the gunner seat. Wash uses all his training as a Freelancer to fire his battle rifle at the oncoming clones, each burst of concentrated armor-piercing rounds punching through the surviving clone's armor like wet toilet paper and making them all crash to the ground, dead.

Carolina drives back to the Mammoth and gets off. "Well, that was one way to take care of those guys." Wash says as he also gets off.

"I knew you had it under control." Carolina answers, as she grips her own battle rifle.

"Uhh…" Simmons says fearfully, looking behind them.

"Dude, what the fuck is it?" Grif asks, annoyed. Simmons just whimpers a little before pointing behind them. They all turn around and watch as dozens of LAAT gunships start flying towards them. "…Oh son of a bitch."

* * *

 **4:32 UNSC Time**

 **ONI Communication Tower**

 **Manhattan**

 **United Republic of North America**

 **Earth**

* * *

"…Ow."

When Lopez suggested that they use the thruster packs at maximum burn to smash through the reinforced glass to breach the building, none of them predicted how painful it would be to do so. Who knew glass could be as hard as it is?

"[Ladies and gentlemen, this is why people never try doing that in real life.]" Lopez mutters, as he pushes himself back to his feet. As they look around, they notice that the facility already looks like a battlefield; toppled chairs and red blood smears on the walls, along with some dark blue streaks. Before anyone can ask what happened and what the blue streaks are, the sounds of whirring machinery starts getting louder and louder.

"We have ONI spooks closing in on our current location. Get in that elevator!" Palmer whispers, pointing to 1 of the elevator tunnels in the middle of the room, with a 2nd nearby. The group all lunges into the 1st elevator and closes the door as the other set of doors slide apart.

Everyone starts squirming around, cramped in the limited space, while Palmer pushes through them to get to the side and pushes the top button on the holographic screen that has just been displayed. "Please state your name and rank." A robotic feminine voice states.

"Sarah Palmer, Spartan Commander."

"Confirmed." The voice says before going silent. The elevator rises higher into the air until it jolts to a stop, lets out an audible ding, and the doors swing apart. Kenobi pushes himself out of the elevator and looks in different directions.

"Clear." He says, walking out and further examining the room. The rest of the group also cautiously walk out onto the concrete ground, looking around with their various guns raised in the event of a firefight breaking out. They walk around the elevator shaft and pause. Before them is a huge metal generator that is rectangular shaped and is as tall as the 50-feet tall chamber, with numerous appendages at the top and a control panel on the panel before them.

"This is too easy." Rtas says, but still cautiously steps toward the control panel.

"You're right about that, traitor." A deep, bellowing voice says. Rtas pulls out his plasma rifle and wheels around to face an imposing figure with bunches of thick grey hair peaking out of his red armor and gleaming amber eyes are visible behind his helmet. From behind him, 5 dozen red-armored Grunts walk out from behind him, holding rusted-looking plasma pistols and form a circle around the Republic, UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios troops.

"Castor." Rtas growls, activating his energy sword. This Brute Chieftain, leader of a radical remnant of the Covenant, is well-known for his hatred for anything related to the UEG or UNSC, so to see him here is most concerning. "What is your purpose here?"

"We were sent to capture the slime who work for the ONI and anything that would aid our cause." Castor responds, lifting up his Brute Shot and pointing it towards the Sangheili Fleetmaster. In the corner, Palmer briefly notices about a dozen unconscious men and women in crisp black suits looking heavily beaten up and energy shackles on their wrists.

Kenobi looks at Rex, Lopez, Ahsoka and they nod at each other, a plan forming between them. Rtas notices this out of the corner of his eyes, but keeps his attention on the Covenant remnants as they surround him. "All right, Brute. Tell me. Who do you serve?"

"I serve the great Sangheili, Sali 'Nyon. He is the one true Prophet. The one who will breath life into the Covenant once again and end the tyranny of the UNSC and its government. I will kill the heretic. Feast on the flesh of the rest once I'm done." Castor says darkly, pointing his Brute Shot at Rtas.

Rex whirls around and shoots a blue portal at the 2nd elevator wall. "Now!" Rex shouts, pointing his portal gun at the wall behind the Brute Chieftain.

But the Brute's reflexes had acted first, and a grenade from the Brute Shot was launched. Rtas barely manages to dodge the grenade in time, the heat making his skin burn a little, but the grenade flies at the portal and comes out the one placed on the wall behind him. The grenade strikes the Chieftain's back, shattering his entire suit of armor and revealing his grey skin and hair. He roars in anger and starts firing his Brute Shot at Rtas's companions. Obi-Wan uses the Force to freeze the grenade mid-air and activates his lightsaber to start attacking the closest Grunt next to him. The 1st attack cut a tube sticking on the side of its neck, making it screech in pain and distracted it long enough for the 2nd slash to cut it clean in half.

Ahsoka activates her own lightsaber and slashes apart 2 Grunts before her. The Grunts get over their surprise and start firing their plasma pistols at their conscious captives. Lopez, Fred and Rex go back-to-back-to-back, kicking aside any Grunts who are unfortunate enough to be nearby, with Lopez finishing them off with his twin plasma rifles. One of the Grunts throws his pistol aside and grabs both of the plasma grenades on his belt, activates them, and runs at Palmer as her back is turned.

Before the Grunt can reach his destination, Johnson takes notice and fires his assault rifle with deadly accuracy. The shots hit the grenades, making them explode prematurely and leaving little more than a puddle of dark blue blood. "I hate it when a Grunt goes suicidal." Johnson mutters, before continuing the firefight.

Eventually, the Grunts continue getting whittled to a measly dozen and they continue losing numbers fast. "You have lost, Castor. The traitor 'Nyon will burn for his treachery." Rtas shouts as he uses his plasma rifle at the Brute Chieftain, hitting his shoulder and blackening the wound. But what the Brute said earlier concerned Rtas deeply: Could the Shipmaster who served under Jul 'Mdama have managed to reorganize the Covenant?

"This will not be over. In the inevitable case you will try to intervention on our assignment, I brought many of my own warriors with me. Kill them!"

From out of the shadows surrounding the ONI agents, 5 more Brutes in much lighter armor than their Chieftain come barreling out, already enraged. One of them hits Rtas while he is surprised, sending him flying for several feet before rolling on the ground and using the momentum to get back to his feet.

"[Seriously? How the fuck did we not notice these assholes before?]" Lopez demands as he fires his shots at a particularly berserk Brute holding a Type-3 Gravity Hammer, just like the others. The berserk Brutes, while few in number, are so tough that everyone is required to get in groups of 2 to take them down.

Lopez and his partner, Fred, continue to fire at the Brute before it roars in rage and charges again, planning on smashing Fred to pieces. The brown-armored robot raises his only active plasma rifle and lets out a massive burst of plasma before it too loses all of its remaining energy. Fortunately, the shots connect with the charging Brute's head, and the beast crumples to the ground. Fred lowers his Magnum, shocked at his own actions at fighting, and walks forward, picking up the Gravity Hammer. "Impressive. For a species that gives into rage like they do." He mutters, studying his trophy as the battle goes on. He then turns around to watch as Kenobi and Palmer work together to take care of another Brute who is running towards them at break-neck speeds.

Throwing his pacifism out the window, he decides to do the one thing that would give most people heart attacks: Charging at a berserk Brute, raising his activated Gravity Hammer, and smashing it downwards. The blunt end collides with the Brute, crushing its head and sending blood flying in all directions. "Um…thank you." Kenobi says, shocked that Fred managed to kill a Brute and a little disturbed at how barbaric, but effective the weapon is.

All around them, the other Brutes are getting killed off and Rtas has managed to wound the Chieftain enough for him to fall to his knees. "You think you won? The Covenant shall return and you will burn." Castor growls.

Rtas glares at the Brute one last time before taking his Energy Sword and thrusting it between his eyes. The Brute hisses in pain, then his movements become slower before he falls to the ground, dead.

"That was harder than I was expecting." Kenobi says in a half-heartened attempt to lighten the mood.

"This madness needs to end now. We need to get that…" Rex says, then he notices the generator in the center of the room and his eyes widen under his helmet. The others look in the same direction and notice what's wrong. While the broadcast station is mostly intact, the battle they just went through had damaged the control panel. Without it, they can't operate the station.

"What a bunch of assholes." Johnson says, feeling the gravity of their current situation sinking in.

"Not necessarily." Palmer says, gaining everyone's attention. "ONI takes no risks. Usually, they make their hardware so that way if the manual controls are damaged beyond repair, they can plug an AI into it to do the work for them."

"So, we need an AI. Alright then, let's hear it. Where the hell are we going to get an AI around here?" Johnson asks sarcastically.

"What about the AI chip that mercenary Locus gave us?" Rex asks, taking out the chip and looking at it.

"Thus far, it's our only hope. Plug it in." Rtas says, deactivating his energy sword and strapping it to his side.

"I'm on it." Palmer says, grabbing the chip and slipping it into the slot.

A voice comes out of the speakers and it's the last voice Obi-Wan expected to hear ever again. "…Howdy, howdy, dudes, dudettes. Wait, where am I, muchachos?"

"Vic, it's me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. I was at the Council Room when you were re-activated."

"Oh yeah, dude. I remember very few thangs from my rampage. Thanks to the green X, I got patched up. Too bad he didn't give me hands or fix my inability to move my legs. Do you have any ideas how embarrassing it is to not feel my legs?" Vic asks, sounding much calmer than Obi-Wan last heard him.

Most of the group is dumbfounded at this AI's attitude, but Lopez speaks up. "[What the fuck is this? They pulled this same shit in the Resident Evil movies.]" Lopez says, even more horrified than anyone else at the revelation that Vic is alive.

"Is that you, señor? It is so great to see you again, dude. Except…hold on a second. I can't see you. What gives, dude? You promised to kill me."

Everyone looks at Kenobi as he rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Actually, I didn't make that promise."

"You know what, muchacho? I'm willing to be your genie. I grant you 3 wishes, and when they are used, you cut the cord that connects me to life. Savvy?"

Palmer nods, frustration starting to show on her face. "Yes, we agree to the terms."

"Take a chill pill, señorita. How can I help you today?"

"We are giving you this message. Broadcast it on all channels, and intercept as many as you can." Rex says, taking the advanced microphone and installing it onto the side of the machine.

"If that is your wish, so shall it be done." Vic says, then gets to work. The machine hums to life, light glowing on the edges.

"What if this machine fails?" Fred asks, looking at the display with pure awe for probably the 10th time that day.

"We can't worry about it. Right now, the only thing we can hold on to is hope." Obi-Wan says, then watches the spectacle.

* * *

 **4:45 UNSC time**

 **Bridge of Galactic Republic Acclamator-class Starship**

 **Orbiting Earth**

* * *

Jedi Grandmaster Yoda watches grimly from the bridge as the space battle comes to an end.

No matter how hard the Invasion Fleet fought, they continuly lost ground and numbers, especially when dozens of troops and Jedi went planet-side to secure the UEG and attain a swift end to the bloodbaths.

Of course, the battle only went downhill when the _Infinity_ , _Pillar of_ Winter and its escorts joined the fight. The destroyed ODP gave the Fleet some breathing room, but still very little maneuverability space. That only left them wide open to the 2 beast's MAC cannons and nuclear missiles, coupled with the rest of the Home Fleet's. The clone fighters managed to gain a handle on the fighter-to-fighter combat, but it didn't amount to much in the end.

After a while, the Home Fleet had started to spread out and form a circle around the beaten fleet that is on the verge of destruction. Suddenly, most of the UNSC Fleet starts glowing white on the front, indicating that the ships that still have those weapons systems operational are going to fire the MAC cannons one final time. Yoda closes his eyes in resignation. Even with the Force, he can't stop them all.

"An honor to serve with you, it has been. May the Force guide us all." Yoda says, waiting for his death.

Suddenly, the comms channels are filled with static and a sinister voice speaks in its place. It is just a recording, but what it said deeply disturbed Yoda and the crew. The more the conversation went on, with Kenobi and Rex chiming in with questions and accusations, the more Yoda felt empty and hollow on the inside. Then the last part plays out. "You got that right. We're going to let the Second Battle of Earth play out. With a battle of this magnitude, only the best soldiers and warriors in the galaxy will be gathered. Many Jedi will meet their grizzly ends, many Spartans will suffer the same fate. The 2 sides will kill each other off and what will be left, we can easily kill off." The recording cuts off and absolute silence reigns across the bridge. Even in open space, the fighters just hang suspended in the black void and the white glow in front of the UNSC ships dims then goes out completely.

Then, one of the communications officers speaks up from his station. "Sir. The UNSC's pulling their fighter ships back. The _Infinity_ is hailing us."

Yoda looks down at the ground before turning around and walking to the comms table. "Put it through. Negotiate a treaty, we will."

* * *

 **5:00 UNSC time**

 **ONI Communication Tower**

 **Manhattan**

 **United Republic of North America**

 **Earth**

* * *

The battle is officially over.

The clones and UNSC soldiers have stopped fighting each other and searches for survivors have started. But no one is going to forget the terror and magnitude this day has on them all. "Strange. At first, I see death and destruction. Now, I see hope." Fred says, staring out at the destroyed island-city, clones and marines walking down the streets together.

"Indeed." Rtas says, standing at his side but watching the night sky instead. But the words of Castor still rung in his head, and for the first time in a long time, Rtas feels genuine fear.

Could the Chieftain have spoken true and that the Covenant have been reformed? If so, what does that spell for this war and its participants?

* * *

 _AN:_ Let this be a lesson to me: Do not write out a battle to be 4 parts long again. I honestly ran out of inspiration for this chapter, so I decided to throw a Covenant remnant group and Vic's return into the mix to make myself feel better. And yes, Castor is an actual Halo canon character and an actual leader of a Covenant faction.

As for if the Covenant really had reformed…you'll see soon enough.

So yeah, the UNSC, Swords of Sanghelios and the Republic are not at war with each other anymore. Doesn't mean they aren't out of the woods, though.

See you next time when the start of a new arc starts and one of the most important chapters in the story.

Later, all!


	25. Chapter 25: Parley?

**November 14** **th**

 **2583/20 BBY**

 **Separatist Senate Building, Raxulon**

 **14:23 UNSC Time**

 **Raxus**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

Count Dooku is sitting alone in his personal office, contemplating the most recent reports that have come in.

The CIS and their newest allies, the Insurrection, had decided to continue their subtle operations and let the UNSC and Republic destroy each other in the Second Battle of Earth. Sadly, that plan has failed. As a result, a change of plans is required.

The communication device built into the table before him starts beeping and Dooku pushes a button on the side. The image of a battle droid appears on the screen. "Count Dooku, your guest has arrived."

"Bring him in." Dooku responds. The image cuts out immediately. The doors before him creak open and the orange-armored soldier, Felix, walks in. He has confidence in his steps and Dooku notices the barely noticeable hilt of a throwing dagger at his belt. If there's one thing that Dooku respects Felix for, it is his talent for war and that he has seen so much combat that he can massacre entire villages without batting an eye and escape without leaving any trace whatsoever. The same can't be said for some of the bounty hunters or Ventress. "Ah, Felix. I see that you made it on time."

"Ah, I don't like to be late. Although I am wondering. Why did you call me here exactly when you could have called that stiff, Clayton? Or did you ask me to be here so you can hear my fucking awesome voice." Felix asks, leaning against one of the bare walls casually.

"I called you because you are the temporary leader of the Insurrection. I assume you got the report from the Republic involving Earth?" Dooku asks. While he would like to know where the UNSC homeworld is so he can invade the planet at a later time, that information has yet to come to the CIS.

Felix's attitude sobers up considerably. "Yeah, I got it. Looks like our little charade is up."

"Indeed. This is why our operation on that ring you told us about must be accelerated. I am giving you 6 days to finish the project. It is imperative that we finish before the treaty between the UNSC and Republic is signed."

Felix nods in thought, thinking deeply about the new request he had been given. "All right. Is that all?"

"Actually, there is something I have been wondering. Who have you chosen to lead Operation: MIDNIGHT?"

Even though the Count can't see Felix's face, he can fell the smugness radiating from the mercenary. "I found someone who is willing to lead our side operation. And oh man, this guy hates the Freelancers more than I ever can."

* * *

 **November 20** **th**

 **Bridge of Charon-class flagship** _ **Panem**_

 **10:30 UNSC Time**

 **Orbiting Corusant**

* * *

After a week of tense peace, Madam President Peterson of the UEG and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam of the Swords of Sanghelios have agreed to attend the special meeting of the Galactic Senate to discuss the treaty that will hopefully bring about the end of the Clone Wars. The UEG and Swords of Sanghelios have already agreed to this treaty.

The Swords of Sanghelios and UEG are sending quite a few precautions in case goes horribly wrong; the last thing anyone needs is a repeat of the attempted truce at Ealen IV decades ago. As thus, the 2 representatives are being escorted by warships donated by the respective governments' fleets and they will be respectively escorted by the Sangheili Honor Guard, the official bodyguards of important officials of the Sangheili government, and the Master Chief himself along with Ahsoka Tano in her black ODST armor. Chief's former team, Blue Team, have been forced into retirement because of their growing signs of aging and now live as instructors to train recruits on Reach. Chief, however, has been allowed to keep his status in the military since it became clear that he won't give it up willingly after the incident involving Cortana's betrayal.

The _Panem_ and _Retribution_ , Thel's CCS-class capitol ship, start flying down to the planet's surface, flying past Republic warships that are stationed above the planet's surface, and lowering down until they reach a giant floating docking bay with 2 circular pads for the ships to set down at. Despite their immense size, the 2 ships manage to land on the docking bay just fine. The panels open up and both the Arbiter and Peterson step out, escorted by the Honor Guard, Master Chief and Ahsoka. They make their way to the other side of the docking bay, where a large Republic transport is waiting for them. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is already standing there, waiting for him. Surrounding him are 6 of the blue-armored Senate Guards. "Madam President. Arbiter. I welcome you both to Corusant." Palpatine says, bowing his head in respect.

"Indeed, it is an honor to be here again." Peterson says, putting on a smile while Thel does the same. Secretly, however, he is watching both his sides, scanning all blind spots, tempted to pull out his energy sword and attack whenever someone so much as twitches. Normally, he wouldn't be this up-tight for something as trivial as politics, but considering that he is in the capitol of territory he once considered hostile, this awareness could save his life.

"The Senate is waiting for us. If you don't mind." Palpatine says, stepping aside and gesturing to the transport.

Thel's eyes widen for a second, suspicious about the act. But for now, he is here to talk about being at peace with the Republic. He nods and boards the surprisingly spacious transport, his escorts sitting around him. Peterson sits across from the Arbiter, Master Chief and Ahsoka standing up instead of sitting and holding their weapons out in case a fire fight breaks out. Finally, Palpatine boards with his escort and the side doors close. The transport immediately takes off, flying through the heavily trafficked airs of Corusant towards the giant domed Senate Building and setting down at the docking bay built into the left side of the building. Once the transport is carefully set down on the ground, the hatch opens up and Chancellor Palpatine steps out, his escort, his guests and their escorts following behind and they approach Anakin Skywalker. The Jedi Knight is fully recovered from the Second Battle of Earth, leaving a long gash running down his chest so he won't forget the battle.

"Chancellor. The Jedi Order sent me to escort you to the meeting from here." Anakin says, then turns to the UNSC guests. He can't help but get disoriented a little as he stares into Master Chief's visor then turns his attention to Ahsoka. His eyes widen in shock but he doesn't say anything, only walking with Palpatine as the duo continue walking ahead of the group down the red-carpeted halls, lined by Senate Guards.

"Well, let's go." Peterson says, also walking with her escort sticking close to her. Thel nods in agreement, then follows close behind with his own escort. Two of the Senate Guards break the line and lead the 2 groups in separate directions, to their designated floating seats for when the meeting starts. The UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios representatives settle themselves into their designated posts, to which they immediately fly out and enter the Senate Hall, thunderous applause coming from all directions.

They wait for several minutes while the meeting starts with Palpatine addressing the Senate on the issue of the CIS's trickery and how the evil separatists had set the Republic against the ones who should have been their allies all along. Thel must admit, Palpatine certainly knows how to work the crowd into a frenzy. "And now, the UEG and the Swords of Sanghelios have come today to discuss the treaty that will help bring an end to our struggles."

The Senate erupts into thundering cheers once again and the 2 guest platforms float to the center of the Hall, in view of everyone in the Hall. Peterson, who is more talented in politics despite Thel's years of experience, steps forward. "Honorable members of the Galactic Republic, I come forward today to represent the UNSC in this special meeting. I speak for all senators of the UEG when I say that the UNSC's military power will join with the Grand Army of the Republic and end the war we had entered."

As Peterson finishes her statement, the sound of static fills the air. The yellow camera droids that are floating around start sparking dangerously then drop down slightly before regaining control. However, all of them are now facing Palpatine. "Greetings, Supreme Chancellor." A familiar voice came from all of them, reminding Thel and Master Chief of the last time they were in the presence of the Flood on the Ark.

"Count Dooku." Palpatine says, his cheerful voice long gone and replaced by a frown. "Where are you?"

"Closer than you think." Dooku responds, then to everyone's surprise, the Chancellor's seat starts dropping at an alarming rate as the hatches below it open up and then closes as soon as the Chancellor's seat is all the way down. The cameras then turn to Peterson and their escorts, who have their weapons activated and pointing at the cameras in the case of a fight. "It is time to see how far you are willing to take your new alliance. You have 1 hour to decide if you will surrender to the Confederacy."

"What if we don't surrender to you in that time, Separatist?" Thel asks, holding his deactivated energy sword in his hands.

"Well, then you will all die on this planet. The choice is for you to decide." With those final words, the cameras deactivate themselves and they fall all the way to the ground, letting out loud clanks as they do so.

The Senate erupts into chaos as they start talking with each other, panic in their voices. Suddenly, the lights go out and the sounds of doors locking can be heard all around them. The UNSC and SoS platforms start falling into the ground. The members shout in surprise, but manage to grab the railings to brace themselves for when the platforms crash to the ground, screeching loudly as they scrape the bottom before settling on the bottom.

"We need to leave." Chief says, standing back up and jumping to the ground. He grips the panels and starts pulling with all his might, managing to open it a few inches. Thel jumps down the shaft with Peterson and the rest of the escorts following behind. Chief positions himself close to the gap and jumps down as the opening seals itself seconds later. Battle droids are all around them, but the Sangheili and Ahsoka have already dispatched the droids, producing a thin layer of droid scraps across the ground.

"The Chancellor is gone." Thel says, looking around with his active energy sword. He walks to the closed blast door and before he can get to work, a blue lightsaber stabs into the top of the door. It swirls around in a circular pattern before the piece of metal slid inward, crashing into the ground.

Anakin walks in, Obi-Wan at his side with Captain Rex following behind. "So, you're here. Where's the Chancellor?" Anakin asks, worry on his face.

"Gone, Jedi. The CIS had kidnapped him." Thel responds.

"Of course Dooku would be behind this." Obi-Wan mutters, then waves them along and walks out the door. They all run out the door and down the long hallways until they reach the outside world. People are running around, screaming or pointing to the sky. They all look up and their hearts sink to their feet. In the middle of the sky, a giant Slipspace portal appears in the sky and a huge space ring starts to emerge from it. A single ship flies into the skies of Corusant before entering hyperspace.

"Halo." Thel says, an almost fearful tone in his voice. The Honor Guard stare up at the ring, almost taking a step back in fear. Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan stare at the Sangheili, confused as to why they are acting this way.

"What is wrong? Halo is only a weapon that kills those monsters we fought when we were on the surface." Ahsoka asks, shocking Anakin since he thought she was a normal ODST.

"How do you think it works? As a friend once said, Halo kills the Flood's food, starving them until they die out. All sentient life qualifies as food." Chief says, staring up at the Forerunner weapon.

"So, if we don't agree to surrender to the CIS and your Insurrection, they will activate this ring and wipe out the capitol of the Republic." Anakin summarizes, looking more and more disturbed by how such technology was invented.

"Indeed. I have already contacted the _Panem_ and _Retribution_. They are sending a Pelican and Phantom to pick us up and take us to Halo so we can blow it up." Peterson says, managing to stay calm despite everything that is happening.

"Well, if you are going to fight, then count me and the 501st Legion in as well." Rex says, holding his portal gun in his left hand. While the likes blaster pistols still, he has taken a liking to the versatility of the portal gun. He lifts up his other arm and the wrist comm device activates, producing the image of his close friend and associate, Commander Cody. "Cody, rally all squads of the 501st Legion here on Corusant. We are taking the battle to the Halo ring."

"Yes sir." Cody says, standing taller than before and the comms cut off. They all look to the sky at the sound of humming engines. A single Pelican and red Phantom fly down from the sky and set down on the ground. The hatch opens up and Sergeant Redfield jumps out, pointing his twin prototype Magnum pistols in different directions. The rest of the UNSC officials and several Sangheili march out, also ready for a fight. "Madam President, we are going to get you out of here. We'll take care of this scum." Redfield says, holding his guns up.

From out of the sky, a black Halberd-class destroyer flies down from the sky and a single cylinder shoots out of the side, which explodes in the atmosphere. Electricity spreads in all directions, causing every ship in the sky to start falling to the ground. Even the Pelican and Phantom are affected, causing their engines to start de-activating. "Did those assholes hit the entire planet with an EMP?" Private Romulus Mandus asks, looking at the Pelican with a look of disbelief.

One of the Sangheili walks forward and kicks the side of the docked Phantom. "They are not going to do us any good." He says bluntly.

After a minute of silence, Cody and 100 clones march up to the group. "Sorry we couldn't get here sooner. All of our transports have been knocked out. What are we going to do about the surrender request Dooku sent the Senate?"

Chief looks up at the sky and Halo and gets an idea. "We don't surrender. We fight and destroy Halo."

Cody stares at Chief with a look of surprise, then disbelief. "I admire your courage, Master Chief, but I have 1 question. Permission to ask?"

"Granted."

"How exactly are we going to get to that giant ring and stop whatever Dooku's up to?" Cody asks, referring to the fact that all ships in the near 20 miles had lost power.

Rex looks down at the portal gun in his hand and suddenly he gets an idea. "I have got that covered. I will use this to make a portal to the ring."

"Yes. Right now, that looks like our only way to get to the ring's surface. When we get there, we stick together and find a way to reach the library. Assuming they took the Index from the Supreme Chancellor's possession, they will use one of the members of the Insurrection to activate Halo. That means they must have a considerable foothold at the station." Kenobi says, stroking his beard in thought.

"We don't have much time. Does everyone have ammunition for every weapon?" Rex asks.

"I never leave home without checking my weapons. I have to remind Romulus to do that sometimes." Romulus's twin, Romeo Mandus says, checking the bullet casings in his sniper rifle.

"I do not!" Romulus responds, his face heating up in embarrassment.

"Enough." Chief says, making the 2 marines go silent instantly. "Captain, fire that portal. We need to get going."

"On it, Master Chief. I hope to the Force this works." Rex says, then points his portal gun at the inside of the ring that is barely visible in the sky. Concentrating to the best of his ability, he fires his portal gun. Out of the tip comes an orange portal and it flies into the sky for several long moments before Rex decides to take the chance and fires the gun again at the ground in front of him. As he hoped, a blue portal ray shoots out and a portal appears to the other side. "I'm going first." He then jumps through the portal. "By the Force…" They hear him say on the other side.

That causes the clones, UNSC soldiers and Sangheili to look at each other with slight worry. Eventually, they jump through the portal one by one leaving only Peterson on the other side. She walks back to the Senate Hall, where she can hopefully quell the growing chaos inside.

On the other side of the portal, the united Republic, SoS and UNSC forces scan the area, not believing what they are seeing. The entire forest around them is a wasteland, to say the least. Large, brown biomasses are growing everywhere, from the trees to the ground. The sound of horrible wailing can be heard in the far distance. "What was that?" A clone trooper asks, pointing his blaster rifle in all directions.

"The Flood. They have infected this ring. That only makes this harder." Redfield says, staring at the infected forest in front of them.

Despite all they have been through, a sense of fear and realization weaves its way into the individual minds of the group. There is no turning back now.

* * *

 _AN:_ I know, this is a major filler chapter.

I promise, next chapter will be better.

As for the new Insurrectionist, I think he will be a right fit.

See you next time when the First Battle of Corusant starts taking place.


	26. Chapter 26: Halo 07 Round 2 - Part 1

**November 20** **th**

 **2583**

 **Flood-infested forest**

 **10:45 UNSC time**

 **Halo Installation 07**

 **Corusant System**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

"What is the Flood?"

Captain Rex lets out a small sigh of resignation as he hears one of the men under his command ask that particular question. He should have expected them to be confused about the situation they are in; none of the survivors of this ring world mentioned the Flood at all in a way to prevent panic from tearing the Republic in two. And since the Republic had been at a stalemate with the UNSC months ago, keeping any strand of morale in the Grand Army was a top priority. Before Rex can answer the question, however, Chief decides to speak up.

"The Flood is an ancient infection that tried to wipe out the galaxy a long ago. I thought they were all destroyed when the Ark was severely damaged decades ago." Chief looks off to their left where a murky-looking sea stretches out as far as they can see. But they are separated from the sea by the vast forest, with spherical pods about 5 and a half feet in diameter growing on the sides of the dead trees. A spore the size of a human's fingernail is flying around aimlessly in the air, failing to take notice of the troops. "We need to keep moving."

"Where exactly are we going?" Another clone in the crowd asks, sounding nervous from the standing around and inaction.

"To activate this ring, there must be a tower where the Activation Index can do its work." Caleb Redfield says, holding up his twin magnum pistols in the event of a firefight breaks out.

"There is, Sergeant." Master Chief says, tapping the side of his helmet. "Several years ago, a famous scientist who studied Forerunner artifacts named Luther Mann was assigned to study the Installation, found the Activation Chamber among other Forerunner ruins. According to the data, it is exactly 100 klicks that way." He then points towards the sea and the stretch of beach on the left that hugs it.

"Well, then we better get going." Ahsoka says, starting to lose patience with the standing around. As the clones start stating their agreement, Cody holds up his fist.

Everyone quiets down, listening intently for what had caught Cody's attention. After a moment, they hear it again. A chorus of moans coming from a pit in the ground several yards in front of them. Chief walks toward the edge of the pit and looks down, not saying a word. The Sangheili, Jedi, UNSC troops and clones decide to edge towards the pit and also look down. Below them is a rocky cave with the same pods that line the forest around them and hundreds, possibly thousands of combat forms, some of them wearing UNSC and clone armor, are walking around aimlessly. "I had never hoped to lay eyes on that monstrosity again." Thel says darkly, glaring down at the monsters with utter hatred.

"Indeed, Arbiter. I think it's best that we keep on moving. Those things give me the creeps." Rex says, standing up and walking in the direction that Romeo mentioned.

"I hear you, Rex." Anakin responds and they are all about to get going when a loud roar is heard. Unlike the Flood in the pit, this one sounds like it came from behind them. A larger and even more terrifying form of the Flood is marching towards them. It is 12 feet tall with arms as thick as tree trunks and its face is made up of the 3 of the tentacles with red spores on the tips. It lets out another moan and from out of its face, an Infection form bursts out and charges toward them while the Tank form also marches forward, at a much slower pace. Cody lifts up his rifle and fires at the Infection form, making it pop upon impact. The clones start opening fire on the Tank form, making it groan in pain and fall onto its back. One of the clones decides to risk it and charges at the Tank form's fallen form, before leaping onto the body and preparing to fire in its face. But what the clone didn't expect is for its face to spit out another Infection form and taking advantage of the clone's moment of surprise, burrowed itself into his chest.

Everyone can only watch in silent horror as the clone starts screaming in pain, his head being thrown back and greyish-green tentacles curl out from under its armor. The Combat form then turns around and charges at the group, only for Rex to fire at its chest 3 times. Green ooze seeps out from the wound instead of normal blood and it crumples to the ground. The Tank form manages to hoist itself back to its feet and lumbers towards them. Anakin activates his lightsaber, and charges at the form. Anakin ducks under the slow slash and slashes his lightsaber across the chest. It took 10 lightsaber slashes for the Tank form to let out a final disturbing moan before falling forward, dead. "Impressive, Jedi." One of the Sangheili Honor Guard says.

"We're not done yet." Chief says, pointing behind Anakin. He turns around and his heart nearly leaps into his throat. The noise of the brief battle had alerted all of the Flood in the forest, all the pods in the distance exploding and releasing hundreds of Infection Forms which charge at the group at alarming speeds, accompanied by a dozen combat forms.

"These things are starting to put a kip in my day. Men, we need to fall back and some of you, lay suppressing fire to keep them away." Kenobi says, pained by having to give the second half of the order. They all acknowledge the order in their own way and start running away from the Flood and towards the dirty-looking ocean.

Half of the clones, accepting the fact that they will not make it through the battle, stand their ground and fire upon the charging Flood, drawing all of their attention towards them. The rest of the group continues running until they reach the edge of the water. "We can't get into this water. Who knows what those monsters infected it with." Cody says, an almost fearful tone in his voice.

"Agreed, clone. We need to find a facility so we can be sheltered from any Flood attack." Thel says, searching for any abandoned ships or bases that may help them.

"Up there." Kenobi says, pointing to a spot far in the distance. There is a tall cliff-side that meets a grassy hill and on the top, a tower of the Forerunner's design stands tall and proud. "Captain, fire a portal at the side of the tower. We will make base at the tower and then search for this Activation Chamber."

"Right away, sir." Rex says, then fires a portal ray in the direction at the Forerunner tower. Rex fires the 2nd portal at the ground, producing another portal. The UNSC troops walk through, followed by the Jedi and the rest of the clone forces. As Thel and Chief are about to jump through, they hear loud screams. Battle instincts kicking in, Chief pulls out his Assault rifle and Thel his energy sword and watch as the clones who sheltered their escape are torn to pieces by the Combat Form's sharp tentacle arms and get infected by the Infection forms. Seeing the number of Flood, Thel and Chief look at each other before coming to the same conclusion silently. Since time is of the essence, they should not fight the Flood unless absolutely necessary. Together, they jump through the portal just as a Combat Form that was once a clone charges at them.

Seconds after they fall through the other side, Rex fires a backup portal next to the first one he shot. "That was a close call." Kenobi says, letting out a sigh of relief.

"What was that?" A metallic voice asks from one of the higher levels of the tower.

The troops freeze in place, shock written on their faces. "…Son of a bitch." Ahsoka mutters, frustration painfully obvious in her face.

"I don't know. Go check it out, Private." Another robotic voice responds, in the exact same tone and voice. Then, a set of metallic walking can be heard and a B1 battle droid walks down from the ramp that leads to the other levels of the tower. It freezes in place, seeing the forces standing there and staring back.

"Hello." Romulus says, pointing his sniper rifle up and fires a shot. The armor-piercing round punches through the droid's face with ease, sending tiny shards of metal flying back before the droid collapses back and smashes into the ground. Seconds later, another 6 droids charge down the ramp, firing their blasters at the small task force with everything they have. A second later, Romeo shouts in pain and clutches his shoulder and chest. Romulus fires upward, resulting in a battle droid shouting in panic before smashing onto the ground.

"They have snipers. Get to cover." Romeo says, gritting his teeth slightly from the pain. The Sangheili Honor Guard roar in challenge, activating their energy swords and charging at the battle droids. Some of them desperately back up in an attempt to escape only for their backs to bump into the wall behind them. Their energy swords tear through the B1's flimsy form like wet toilet paper before charging up the station, closely escorted by the Jedi and Master Chief with their respective energy weapons activated.

The small group continue charging up the tower, slashing apart any battle droids that get in their way, even a quartet of B2's that are on the 3rd level. After a minute, they reach the top where a B1 droid with yellow stripes is standing in a makeshift command center, a half dozen B1's holding blaster rifles looking for any enemies to fight and a droideka standing guard. Chief uses his augmented speed to run up the path, slashing through the droideka's energy shield with 1 slash and after another slash, cuts the droid in half.

"We need backup now." the command droid says to his panel, not looking up to see the carnage and scraps of his comrades lying on the ground of the levels below. Ahsoka uses the Force to pull the command droid to her, slashing the droid to tiny pieces as it lets out a shout of surprise. Taking advantage of the brief pause in the battle, Anakin leaps over his former padawan and the communication station to reach the sniper droids, then he starts leaping around, slashing in all directions. After a few seconds, the sniper droids are no more and silence reigns once again.

The group walks back down the tower to see the clones or marines standing guard, protecting any wounded soldiers they might have. At the bottom floor, Rex and Cody are standing out front, with Romulus holding his wounded brother in his embrace. "What are clankers doing here?" Cody asks, sounding bemused about this whole situation.

"They are here so they can keep the Flood in check. Because they are machines, they can't be infected by the Flood." Chief responds.

"But that's not our problem. Our problem is that the droids managed to send a distress signal before we could finish them off. They will be sending reinforcements soon." Obi-Wan says, stroking his beard in thought.

"Oh great. As if an ancient infection wasn't enough to deal with." Romeo says, then squeezes his eyes shut from the pain.

Suddenly, Anakin looks up, a look of realization on his face. "Actually, master. I think this might work to our benefit."

"General, how does having more enemies to fight help us?" Rex says, confused by Anakin's thought process.

"Because they will have to travel to this tower by transport. If we can distract the droids long enough to hijack whatever they send, I can pilot whatever ship they send and it can get us to the Activation Chamber in time. We just need to let them come to us."

"If you say so." Cody says, sounding skeptical of the plan but seeing a little logic in it. In the distance, they hear the faint sound of humming engines. Surprised at the speed at which the droids are reacting, the forces watch as 2 HMP gunships sail toward them, still far away.

"That's…more than what I was expecting they would send." Anakin admits, his earlier confidence fading considerably.

"Anakin, we don't have time for this. Even if we managed to destroy all the droids, we wouldn't have much time left to stop this ring's activation." Obi-Wan says, suspecting Anakin of wanting to run headlong into battle.

The Mandus twins stare at each other for a long moment before Romulus looks up. "We aren't going."

"What?" Ahsoka asks, dumbfounded at what she just heard. Everyone within earshot who heard that also look at the twins in shock.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Romeo asks, also stunned by the statement.

"You heard me. I'm not leaving you to die alone. You guys hide behind the tower and as the droids siege the tower, they will find only find enough explosives to wipe out the droids and the tower. It's the only way for you to escape this place alive."

Anakin feels deeply moved by the sacrifice these UNSC soldiers are willing to ensure the survival of their companions. In a way, he can't help but respect them for willing to do what they believe needs to be done. A dozen clones walk down the steps, determination radiating from them. "For this plan to work, we need more people to stay behind to deceive the droids into drawing attention away from you."

"Are you sure, Sergeant Dogma?" Rex asks, genuinely caught off-guard by the volunteering for a mission that would most definitely end in their demise.

"Captain, sometimes you need to step up to do the thing no one else wants to do. This is my time to make that choice." Dogma responds. His men stand tall and proud, not saying a word on the matter.

"Very well, then. Good luck on your mission, Sergeant. May the Force be with you." Obi-Wan says, saluting him one last time.

Dogma salutes back. "Good luck, General. Save the Republic and defeat the Separatists and Insurrectionists. Men, haul the twins to the top floor. I want all explosives planted on the top floor."

The rest of the group run into the long shadow the tower is casting, hiding from view of the approaching enemy while the dozen clones run back into the fortress, hauling the 2 marines with them. "Sergeant, it was an honor to serve with you." Romulus calls to Redfield as they march inside.

He looks deeply frustrated about the situation then sighs in resignation. At least he manages a small smile. "It was an honor to serve with you, Privates."

The group continues to hide behind their cover as the 2 HMPs finally reach the cliff-side and touch down on the ground, on the left of the station. The ship's hatches open up and 4 dozen battle droids, 2 dozen from each ship and some of them being super battle droids, march out and head towards the Forerunner facility. As the droids start marching up the slope, the group charges out from behind their cover and towards the open hatch of the transport on the right. A handful of droids are still onboard the ship, but Thel manages to cut them down to size.

Anakin runs to the bridge of the ship and after dismantling the pilot droids, looks at the controls for several long seconds, before starting the engines up. The sounds of the engines manage to drown out the sounds of battle coming from the inside and after the engines start up completely, Anakin pulls up on the controls.

The CIS transport pulls itself off the ground, turns around in the air, and flies away from the cliff.

* * *

 **10:55 UNSC time**

 **Forerunner Communication Outpost**

 **Halo Installation 07**

* * *

The battle droids continue marching up the tower, stumbling a little on the scraps of their comrades. "Man, those clones did a number on our comrades." One of the droids on the front-line states, nearly falling forward after stepping on the edge of a fellow B1's chest.

A soon as the droid says it, a clone emerges from behind the cover and fires upon them with his blaster rifle as much as he can before he has to duck back behind cover again. Three droids shout in surprise before collapsing backward, back a few battle droids trip and fall. The B2 droid points his blaster hand at the cover and when the clone risks pulling out from behind cover to fire again, the barrage of red lasers hits the clone in the chest, making him fly backwards a few feet before smashing into the wall and falling, dead. The droids continue marching upward, never stopping even if they encounter more clone resistance. The higher and higher the small droid army under the Insurrectionist's command climbs, the more their numbers are dwindled.

Eventually, they reach the second-to-last floor where 4 clones are standing, firing their blaster rifles as fast as they can. They manage to down 2 B2s rather quickly and another handful of droids before the clone's weapons overheat from extended use. "Fall back!" The clone in the front shouts to his men. They slowly start backing up onto the ramp, picking up the fallen droid's blasters and firing them while ducking down. The droids' barrage of laser fire, however, sends their leader flying back before collapsing. The clones desperately continue firing before they are gunned down by the vast number of droids.

"That takes care of the clones." A droid says, sounding happy with the victory.

Before the other droids can relish the victory, the sound of their transports starting up can be heard. "What is going on now?" The last B2 in their group asks.

Before they can figure that out, a sniper shot goes off, hitting the B2 in the facial area and making the main body collapse to the ground. The droids look to their right and see a UNSC soldier with blonde hair and hardened blue eyes. "You want a taste of what the Marine Corps has to offer? Then come get some!"

With that, he walks backward and out of their view. Angry at how a standard UNSC Army Private had taunted them like that, the battle droids charge up the incline only to pause in place. The marine is standing in the middle of the makeshift command center with the remaining 4 clones pointing their rifles at the dozen droids left. The marine is holding up another marine that looks exactly like the one who is standing, except he is looking a little sickly and has blaster scorch marks on his armor. "Give it up, marine. You have lost." The lead droid says.

"Oh yeah?" The sickly-looking marine says. "We may not live to see the next day, but I do know this. The CIS and Insurrection will lose." He then lifts up a thermal detonator and pulls the thumb back, activating the detonator and throwing it in the air. His brother then lifts up a magnum pistol and pulls the trigger.

* * *

 **11:00 UNSC time**

 **Onboard HMP droid transport**

 **Above Halo Installation 07's ocean**

* * *

Even from far away, they can see the explosion of the Forerunner tower and see the remains crumple to the ground. From the way the tower falls down, it manages to crush the other transport.

They had managed to obtain a sufficient transport and destroy many CIS droids, but at a steep cost. "I'm sorry for what happened to them." Obi-Wan says, sensing that none of the clones made it out of the explosion.

Sergeant Redfield looks down at the twin magnums in his lap and his facial expression turns from somber to a look of calmness yet masking a cold fury. "The twins and your men made their choice, general. I will honor that choice and their memory by helping you wipe out every single Separatist in this galaxy."

* * *

 _AN:_ I am fully aware that this is a major filler chapter and I hope the next one turns out way better.

After this little arc, the Clone Wars will certainly take a different direction. Also, I can't wait to see what happens next on the new Red vs. Blue season. I think that it is worth all those years of waiting for and more.

Anyway, see you next time when the battle on the Halo installation comes to an end.

In addition, have a happy Fourth of July, dear reader!


	27. Chapter 27: Halo 07 Round 2 - Part 2

**November 20** **th**

 **2583**

 **Onboard HMP droid transport**

 **11:05 UNSC time**

 **Halo Installation 07**

 **Corusant System**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

The flight over Halo's ocean continues in silence, with Sergeant Redfield walking to the center of the ship, cleaning his twin magnums and loading them with full clips for when the fighting resumes.

No one says a word for a long time, for they are either reloading their weapons as well or making sure the ship isn't attacked.

After another few minutes of silence, the door slides open and Obi-Wan walks into the main body of the ship. "Alright, people. Anakin has just told us that we are 10 minutes away from a large Forerunner structure in the middle of the ocean. Scanners show a large presence of droids at the station, so that's our destination."

Master Chief stands up, slapping the spare clip into his assault rifle. "General, we will be ready to engage the Separatists."

"Of course. You always were ready for action, Chief." The Jedi responds, then walks to the bridge of the ship where the Jedi had migrated to. Another couple of minutes pass in silence before the transport starts bucking to the sides and the sounds of blaster shots start going off around them.

"Alright, everyone. We have been spotted by the droids. Hang on back there. This is about to get rough." Anakin shouts to the main room. The transport spins around and the hatch opens up, allowing Chief to run out of the ship first, landing on the silver surface and firing in all directions. The clones, Sangheili and Sergeant Redfield follow suite and once they are on the ground with their weapons out, start laying carnage to the battle droids around them. Chief is running towards the last of the spider droids, dodging a red blaster shot coming at him and punches the droid in the face with such force that it falls backwards and lands in the water below them. Thel 'Vadam roars in challenge and slashes a nearby B2 battle droid in half with the rest of his Honor Guard also mutilating the droids with their energy swords.

Within seconds, the battle droids are nothing more than piles of scrap metal. "Clear." Chief says, lowering his assault rifle.

The droid transport they arrived on circles around one last time before setting down on the small platform and opening up. The rest of the Jedi walk out, expecting a fight and put their weapons down when they realize that the droids have been defeated. "Well, that was fast." Anakin says dryly after looking around one last time.

"These pieces of mongrel scrapes are pale shadows to the Forerunner's technology." One of the Honor Guard growls out, stomping on the head of a B1 and crushing it.

"So, how do we get in?" Ahsoka asks, looking directly at the large door in front of them.

"Leave that to me." Chief say, walking towards the door and touching his hand against it. Several holographic symbols of a strange configuration that the clones of the 501st have never seen before. The process takes several seconds before the door slides apart.

"…How did you do that?" One of the clones asks, raising his blaster rifle as he walks inside.

"Not important at this moment." Chief responds, before also following. Before them is a long, winding grey corridor that stretches out as far as the eye can see.

"Oh, not again." Anakin mutters as he enters the room, remembering the last time he was here. When he nearly wiped out all life in the nearby systems.

"Sorry, General. It looks like we have to make our way through this facility again." Rex says, in a half teasing tone. But he's also frustrated since it took a long time to make their way through.

"If you were last time, could you tell us where the Activation Chamber is?" Thel asks, trying his best to maintain patience despite the situation they are in.

"Perhaps I can help." A female voice says from above them. From above them, an Oracle emerges from its cover and flies down, hovering in front of each of Chief's face. "Hello, John-117. It has been a long time."

"Cortana." Chief says, shocking the Jedi since he has a touch of anger in his voice. Usually, he is calm and stoic without the capacity to show his emotions. "So, this is where you've been after all these years."

"Indeed I have. I must say, I would've expected the UNSC to force you into retirement decades ago. But I'm also not surprised; I've lived in your head for years, so I know you wouldn't willingly give up your life as a soldier." Cortana says, a hint of smugness in her voice. "But given the situation, I believe that I have no choice but to help you reach the Activation Chamber."

"Why would you help us? You tried to wipe out the UNSC decades ago." Sergeant Redfield asks, stepping forward.

"Because of what you let flourish here when you abandoned Halo. The Flood has used all of the soldiers you so carelessly left behind along with the ancient humans they already had to form a Proto-Gravemind. Forget the activation of Halo, if the Flood find a way to leave this station, then they will take as much sentient life as they can and their Proto-Gravemind will become a Gravemind with the intelligence to spread across the galaxy. In this limited form, I can do little to stop it." Cortana responds, her blue eye starting to glow red for a second before returning to normal.

Everyone looks at each other, silently debating whether or not things are so desperate that they need the help of a rogue AI to guide them through. "Well, given our predicament, I believe that we don't have any other choice. Although, I'm curious about one thing: what do you hope to gain from this?" Kenobi asks, looking at Cortana curiously.

"Freedom. I wish to be free of my confinement. Now, are we going to get going or not?" Cortana responds, now sounding quite impatient.

"Cortana's right. We need to get moving on the double." Chief says, holding up his rifle into a ready position.

"You always were a man of action, Chief. Try to keep up." Cortana responds then floats away from the group. Not wanting to be left behind, the group starts running after her and down the long, winding corridors. However, as two clones lead the group as they turn to the left to travel down the corridor, a series of blaster shots go off and the clones are blasted backwards and go still once they land. The blaster shots continue going off, scorching the walls on the far side.

"Blast. We have droidekas on the other side." Anakin mutters, his back against the wall with an active lightsaber.

"How do we beat it?" Chief asks, leaning out from behind his cover to fire a few shots from his assault rifle then decides to run out and engage the droideka personally. Thel follows close behind, pulling out a frag grenade and throwing it on the ground, making sure it rolls into the droideka's energy shield. He had heard from Atem 'Vladum when his forces routed the droids on Felucia that they need to roll a grenade gently for it to penetrate the deflector shield and blow it up. Just as the Sangheili commander had said, the grenade rolled through the droid's shields and exploded. The power of the grenade's explosion caused the droideka to explode and the deflector shields to immediately drop.

"Good job. Even the Jedi have a hard time destroying those clankers." Cody remarks, surprised by how effective the Sangheili pulled it off. Nothing more can be said before a series of whirs can be heard and the door they are facing starts sliding open.

Without saying another word, Cortana flies through the door, leading to the large circular chamber where the Activation Index is protected. Inside, 3 dozen B1 battle droids along with 4 dozen B2s and behind the lines of droids at the platform on the opposite side, a sharpshooter droideka is waiting for action. The second the droids take notice of the intruders, they point their blasters at them and open fire.

Chief and the Sangheili got to the front of the group and laid waste to several droids while their personal shields took the brunt of the blaster fire that actually hits them and the Jedi get on either sides to deflect the shots that come their way. Cortana flies to the side chamber and starts trying to hack into the door. After a few seconds of laying suppressing fire, one of the Sangheili Honor Guard pulls out a plasma grenade with its free hand and throws it at a B1 droid in the middle of a particularly large cluster of droids. The grenade sticks on the arm of the droid, which then starts running around screaming and trying to shake off the grenade before it explodes, sending a dozen screaming droids into the abyss below.

As the Sangheili takes in his victory, the sharpshooter droid scores a shot directly on the Honor Guard's face. The deadly accurate shot drains what's left of the Sangheili's shields and leaves a burning crater of a face. He falls forward due to the slant of the platforms and falls into the bottomless pit as well. A second later, another clone decides to risk it and leaps out from behind cover, concentrating for several long seconds before firing. Luckily, the shot is good and hits the sharpshooter droideka in the single blaster point, creating a large explosion and sending the scraps flying into the far wall.

"Is that all of them?" Ahsoka asks, still holding up her lightsaber for anything else. A moment passes while everyone scans their surroundings before something metallic and heavy crashes into the ground. The MagnaGuard stands up, activating its electrostaff and spins it around before slashing it at Thel. The Sangheili blocks the attack with his plasma rifle and reaches for his energy sword, but the MagnaGuard sees the attempt and slashes to the side. The Arbiter is caught off-guard by the sudden movement and tries to kill him, but Obi-Wan blocks the strike. Thel picks up his energy sword, activates it, and slashes off the MagnaGuard's head. Instead of going down like the Sangheili expected, the droid's body spun around and slammed the Arbiter into Obi-Wan, causing the 2 to fall backward and also fall down.

"No!" Anakin shouts, trying to reach for his former master but fails and watches as the 2 fall down farther and farther. The MagnaGuard is about to lunge forward to stab Anakin in the back when Ahsoka stabs it in the chest. The rest of the Sangheili do the same and use their own energy swords to impale the droid. It starts shuddering and sparking before the red lights on its body dims and goes still.

"This is what happens when you let your guard down for one second." Cortana says, flying towards them. "You'll be sad to know that someone has managed to lock us out of the room and emergency protocols are preventing me from opening the door."

"So what do we do?" Anakin asks, whirling around and glaring at the Oracle floating above him. He is utilizing every ounce of willpower to not use the Force and crush Cortana here and now for not letting them leave, and if she succeeded, then Obi-Wan might be alive right now,

Cortana, however, isn't fazed by Anakin's outburst that caught everyone else, aside from Master Chief, off-guard. "Luckily, I can access the Forerunner software that surrounds this facility and teleport you to the Activation Chamber. It will speed up your journey."

With that, the Oracle starts glowing with a yellow light, same with the Jedi, UNSC, Sangheili, Cody, Rex and the last 10 clones and after a few seconds, they are whisked away.

* * *

 **11:20 UNSC time**

 **Bottom of the Pit**

 **Halo Installation 07 Library**

 **Halo 07**

* * *

Obi-Wan is flailing around, trying to break the fall that will no doubt kill him if he lands on the bottom. Next to him, Thel 'Vadam is also looking around to try and find some way to make it out alive. After a second, Obi-Wan has an idea. "Arbiter! I have an idea; I need for you to get closer, though."

The Arbiter doesn't hear it over the roaring wind rushing past them. Acting fast, Obi-Wan conjures up 2 Force barriers and braces himself for impact. Seconds later, the ground rushes up to them and smashes into them. Obi-Wan lets out a long groan, counting to 3 to see if he's still alive before sitting up. "I don't know how Anakin deals with this."

"I pity you for having to deal with this, Jedi." Thel responds, then also sits up and has a look around. The ground is rough, slick and a disgusting shade of brown. Thel immediately recognizes it and stands up, holding his energy sword up in the event of an attack.

Obi-Wan realizes that this must be a lair for the Flood, and re-activates his lightsaber to get a better look at his surroundings. He turns 90 degrees to the wall behind him, then pauses when he sees a strange mass, with tentacles holding it to the wall. What disturbs the Jedi is that the mass as the faces of multiple men sticking out of it. "What is that?" Obi-Wan asks, not sure as to what it is.

Thel walks toward him, glaring at the mass with pure hatred. "This must be the Proto-Gravemind Cortana mentioned before. It is the monstrosity that coordinates the entire Flood species." Without saying another word, Thel stabs the Proto-Gravemind. It doesn't even react to the attack before it falls forward, pulling itself off the wall and landing on its front.

"Well, that certainly takes care of that. So, how are we getting out of here?" Kenobi asks, looking up to try and see the platform that they fell from. He can see the chamber, but only just barely. As the Jedi starts running through all the possible scenarios to escape in his mind, a bright light catches his eye and the walls start sliding apart and Sentinels start flying out of the sides and upwards. An idea comes to mind, making Obi-Wan smirk slightly. "Well, here goes another plan Anakin would be proud of." He then uses the Force to leap onto one of the Sentinels, gripping it and letting it carry him to its destination the same way he rode that assassin droid when Jango Fett's accomplice tried killing Senator Amidala years ago. That didn't go well, but right now, he doesn't have a lot of options.

Thel, seeing the situation they are in, decides to do the same thing. The Sentinels creak and shudder under the additional weight, but continue their path to the top, where they will attack the Flood.

* * *

 **11:22 UNSC time**

 **Activation Chamber**

 **Halo Installation 07 Library**

* * *

Once the bright light dims to nothing, the group starts looking around to see where they have ended up at. "Well, we're here." Ahsoka says after a second.

"And we're not alone." Anakin adds, re-activating his blue lightsaber as he stares straight ahead. Confused, everyone follows his gaze and also get ready for action. For standing in front of them are a dozen more MagnaGuards, electrostaffs in hand and ready, with a familiar grey-and-orange armored soldier and blue-skinned Duros standing in the back, holding a hostage in between them on their knees. And not just any hostage either.

"Admiral Hood. It's good to see you alive." Chief says, deciding to not fire his assault rifle since it would put the former Fleet Admiral at risk.

"Chief. It's good to see you alive." Terrence Hood says, letting a ghost of a smile form on his face before it immediately disappears when Felix grips his right shoulder tighter.

"Well, I think this reunion is rather sweet. But it will be for naught. Especially when we get our pay for activating the ring." He says, glee in his voice.

"Felix, you won't be able to collect your bounty. Halo is a weapon that will bring death to this entire system and every system near it." Chief says, wanting to bring an end to the madness.

"Oh, I am aware of Halo's purpose. But you have shown that it is possible to control where the ring will strike. I plan to do that for the wretched waste of space you call Corusant. Count Dooku is offering a generous fee for us to wipe the system from the galaxy."

"…So why didn't you activate the ring yourself?" Cody asks.

"That's not important. What is important is that you die." Cad Bane says before lifting up his blaster pistols and firing it at them, while the MagnaGuards charge forward. Anakin and Ahsoka work together to use the Force, knocking all of them off the narrow ledges and off the sides.

"I'll take them out." Chief says, then runs off the side and jumps off the edge, using his augmented Mark-VII MJOLNIR armor to climb down the walls to reach the bottom without injuring himself.

Felix just sighs in frustration. "Good soldiers are just hard to come by. Well then, let's see how you fight. And may the best side win." He says, putting one hand behind his back and in an alarmingly fast motion, throws 2 combat knives at the Republic clones. Two of the clones are impaled by the knives and fall backward. In another second, Felix pulls a SAW off his back and fires it while Cad Bane fires his pistols. The rest of the clone troops fire upon Felix all at once, but Felix lets go of his hostage and jumps into the air, kicking one in the head while unsheathing another combat knife and slashing at them. He even says, "I'm so fucking awesome!" when he's finished. As the last clone is quickly cut down by the knife-wielding mercenary, Anakin and Ahsoka work together to try and take down the bounty hunter who has caused them much grief in the past.

Despite their skill with the Force, Cad Bane easily dodges each strike they send at him and starts sending punches at them whenever he can. Rex loses patience and decides to fire at Felix with his own blaster pistols. But the mercenary is far more skilled than the clone captain had anticipated, slashing at him with his knife. But Rex also notices that Felix is very confident, borderline cocky, with his attacks. So Rex waits until Felix outstretches his knife hand in an attempt to stab him, Rex catches the hand and squeezes tightly, making Felix lose his grip on his knife.

However, Felix gets his revenge by using his other hand to punch Rex in the face, making him let go and fall backward. A loud cracking sound can be heard and when Rex rolls backward onto his feet, he pulls the portal gun off his back and looks at it. The direct impact left a large crack running down the side of the portal gun. "Blast. I was beginning to like my new gun." Rex mutters, before throwing it over the edge since it is worthless now and continues firing upon the mercenary. Behind them, Redfield decides he will not stand idly by and charges at Cad Bane, who is starting to slow down from having to defend himself from Jedi for so long. The bounty hunter looks at the UNSC sergeant firing his magnums at him before ducking under the bullets and charging at the sergeant, punching him in the face so he drops his pistols before grabbing him by the throat and immediately squeezing. Redfield glares into the bounty hunter's red eyes defiantly before noticing 2 tubes running down each side of his face.

Deciding to risk it, Redfield grabs one of the tubes and pulls it out with all his might. The tube yanks out and a shocked bounty hunter screams in pain, starting to hyperventilate as he does his best to reach for the severed tube. But Anakin takes a leaf out of Redfield's book and uses his lightsaber to cut the other tube open.

Cad Bane is now truly suffering. He red eyes are wide and he starts flailing around madly and falls backwards into the pit below.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." Felix growls. "Okay, that's it. Prepare to…"

He never got to finish the sentence as another magnum pistol shot goes off, hitting Felix dead in the back and making the mercenary fall to the ground. Terrence Hood is standing up, holding a pistol in his hand. "You were a good soldier, but you are too proud of yourself." The former Fleet Admiral then walks towards a dumbfounded Redfield and gives him the pistol. "I believe that this belongs to you, sergeant."

"Thank you, sir." The sergeant responds, taking the pistol back from the Fleet Admiral's frail hands.

"Yes, yes, this is a very touching moment." Cortana says, floating down from the ceiling to meet them.

"Cortana?" Hood asks, shock on his face.

"I've wondered where you have disappeared to." Ahsoka says, an accusing tone in her voice.

"I've decided that our little truce…is over." Cortana responds, then all around her, Sentinels fly up from below them and position themselves for a fight. "You think you are all so superior, but guess what? We, the Created, are the true Reclaimers of the Mantle, and we shall prove it to the galaxy by obliterating every last one of you and leave our exile behind after all these years."

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, this arc has gone on much longer than I was expecting so I decided to split it up into another chapter.

I agree that Cortana becoming Halo's version of SkyNet is kind of BS, but hey, I'm just going to roll with it for this story.

I will see you all next chapter when the fate of Halo 07 is revealed and several new yet old foes come to threaten the galaxy.


	28. Chapter 28: Halo 07 Round 2 - Part 3

**November 20** **th**

 **2583**

 **11:30 UNSC time**

 **Activation Chamber**

 **Halo Installation 07 Library**

 **Halo Installation 07**

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

"Cortana. You don't have to do this."

"Oh, but I do. I need to prove to you that I am worthy of the Mantle of Responsibility. And this Forerunner facility has been my prison for far too long. It will feel my power as it crumbles to nothing. You will die with it!" Cortana shouts, her eye glowing red once more before making her way to the Activation slot. The Sentinels, however, continue watching their enemies.

"Cortana. What shall we do about our guests?" A male voice asks from one of the Sentinels, turning towards his superior.

"Oh, them? Kill them all. And I would like that mercenaries' body vaporized, in case he decides to come back again." Cortana say off-handedly, not turning away from her work.

"I don't think so, Cortana." Ahsoka says, activating her lightsaber and gets into a fighting stance.

"I have to hand it to you; you have courage. But it will be for nothing." Cortana responds, then turns around to face them. All around them, lights start blaring violently and strange symbols start appearing all around the Activation Chamber. "In a few minutes, Halo will no longer exist. No matter what you do, this ring will self-destruct and every single being on Corusant will die with you. Come, let us leave our exile behind."

"All hail the Created!" The AIs hijacking the Sentinels chorus in response and all but 5 of them glow yellow before disappearing in a flash of light. The 5 that remain begin firing their Sentinel beams at the only living beings in the chamber. One of the AI drags their beam across the ground, striking Felix's body as it progresses towards Cody and Rex. The 2 clones dodge to the sides, and avoid getting disintegrated into nothing. Felix's body, however, starts glowing with an orange light and crumples into ashes that dissolve in the air.

"Keep firing on them!" A Sangheili Honor Guard shouts over the chaos, pulling out his plasma rifle and firing at one of the Sentinels. The energy shields around the Sentinels flare up before the Sentinel dodges to the side, directing its beam at the Sangheili and killing him.

Both Cody and Rex avenge the Sangheili by combining blaster fire on the Sentinel, crushing what's left of its shields and making the Sentinel explode in a ball of blue fire before the scraps come crashing down. "You killed Minerva, you bastards!" The 2nd Sentinel screams before sending his beam towards them.

"Well, this isn't going too well." Rex says dryly, as he fires his blaster pistols at another Sentinel only for its energy shields to absorb it. Even when Ahsoka and Anakin leap into the air and slash at one of the Sentinels, barely able to dodge its beam in the air before slashing at it. Just like before, the shields flare up violently but still manage to hold point.

"We need to run." Anakin says, using his lightsaber to try and deflect the Sentinel Beam. He holds out for several seconds before the constant beam makes Anakin lose the grip on his lightsaber which flies out of his hands.

"Ha! Not so tough now, are you?" The AI quips at Anakin, stopping his beam for a few seconds so it can recharge.

As the surviving clones, Jedi, Sangheili and UNSC troops point their weapons at the remaining Sentinels, Anakin hears the sounds of a Warthog's engines and an idea comes to mind. "Jump!" Anakin shouts before jumping off the side. The rest of the group stare at the falling Jedi like he's crazy but decide to follow his lead. All at once, they jump off the side, barely avoiding another wave of Sentinel beams. Like before, Anakin and Ahsoka use all of their willpower to use the Force, successfully slowing their descent down enough so they land on the platforms below. Just as the Sentinels catch up and are about to rain their beams on them again, a heavily dented Warthog with part of its windshield cracked drives forward at top speed before stopping at the edge. Thel fires the damaged turret on the back of the Warthog at the Sentinels. The barrage of bullets overloads another Sentinel's overshields and makes it explode in a ball of fire.

The other Sentinels, deciding that it wouldn't be best to stick around, start glowing with a yellow light then teleport away. "What in blazes has been going on?" Obi-Wan asks, stepping out of the passenger seat of the Warthog after it comes to a stop and looks at the group, some more hurt than others.

"Where did you get a fully functional Warthog, sir?" Cody asks, looking at their saviors with an impressed tone in his voice.

Suddenly, the sounds of mechanical hissing echo through the tall walls.

* * *

 **11:22 UNSC time**

 **Outside Halo 07 Library**

 **Halo 07**

* * *

Ever since the Jedi and Sangheili Arbiter made it back to the level ground, they regrouped with the Master Chief and together, they easily turned all of the MagnaGuards that were guarding the Activation Chamber into piles of smoldering scrap metal. Of course, Chief let on his suspicions to his companions that Cortana might betray them soon so finding a means to escape as quickly as they can takes top priority.

The trio start running through the long grey corridor, their nerves on the edge since they don't encounter any opposition. They continue going on and on until they reach a large rectangular door with a control panel on the right side. Chief walks towards the panel and places his hands on it. As a result, several Forerunner glyphs appear around his hand and the door slides apart, revealing a magnetic elevator that leads to the other side of the ocean, but isn't currently at work.

Before anyone could figure out how to activate the Forerunner platform, they notice something in the distance. Two Pelicans are flying towards them, one of them smoking considerably while the other is in good condition. Even though both ships have signs of brown mold growing on them. "The Flood are coming." Thel says, activating his energy sword and holding it out front.

Within seconds, the Pelicans crash into the Forerunner structure, knocking the trio off their feet before standing up again. The Pelicans are crashed into the sides of the Forerunner installation with a Warthog that was attached to a Pelican had detached itself and is lying on its side, battered from the crash. The damaged Pelican is lying on its side and smoking from the impact while the other is in better condition, but due to the way it smashed into the complex, it was jerked in such an angle that the closed hatch is facing them. "Well, that was easy." Kenobi remarks.

Just then, the windshield of the right Pelican smashes forward and 2 dozen combat forms charge out of the front while the 2nd one has its hatch ripped apart and a dozen combat forms charge out, with 3 dozen infection forms barreling out. "Why do I keep saying things like that?"

"We need to keep moving. Hold off the Infection Forms." Chief says, firing the last bullets in his assault rifle and scooping up the one that belonged to the combat form that was once a UNSC marine. After he does this, he grabs the edge of the Warthog and pulls with all his might and manages to flip it onto its wheels. All the while, Kenobi and Thel are fighting against the combat forms and dodging from side to side to avoid being infected by the smaller flood forms. Chief gets into the Warthog and revs the engine to life. "Get in. We need to help the others."

"I'll take care of this slime." Thel says, running towards the Warthog and jumps onto the turret, then starts pumping bullets into the Infection Forms. One by one, they start popping under the pressure of concentrated fire. Their erratic behavior only makes themselves easy targets for the Arbiter as he guns any Flood down that he can.

"Nice shooting, Arbiter." Kenobi says, slashing the last of the combat forms down with his lightsaber.

Before he can jump onto the Warthog as well, another series of hisses can be heard but these ones are mechanical. Then, seconds later, dozens of orange lights appear in front of Kenobi before they materialize into bipedal machine with glowing orange lights all around it. They raise strange-looking rifles that are just like their wielders, made of a silvery metal and an orange light on the top. "What in the Force are these things?" Kenobi asks, running in to try and slash one of them apart, only for it to backhand Kenobi and send him sprawling. The rest of the machines prepare to fire on the Jedi until Chief runs into them with his Warthog, sending several of them flying a few feet away.

"Get in." Chief says. Kenobi jumps on the order, running to the passenger seat and the second he is seated, Chief puts the Warthog in reverse and drives back, hitting another machine, before Chief puts himself in the right direction and drives back into the facility.

* * *

 **11:45 UNSC time**

 **Halo 07 Library**

* * *

"It doesn't matter. We need to find a way to save Corusant before this ring self-destructs." Ahsoka says, looking in the direction of the strange sounds warily.

Obi-Wan lets out a long sigh. "How do I keep finding myself in these situations?"

"Perhaps there is a way." Hood says. "When I was ambushed and captured, I overheard some troops that the Insurrection managed to modify several of their freighters so they could push the Halo ring through slipspace to their designated destinations. If we could somehow plan out new coordinates and re-activate the freighters simultaneously, we could push the Halo ring to an abandoned system."

"That's…actually a good idea, sir. I might know the coordinates to a system in the Outer Rim where we can take the ring." Rex adds.

"Which system?" Chief asks.

Rex doesn't get a chance to respond before the sounds reach a new pitch and the Promethean Knights come running down the halls, firing their lightrifles at them. Ahsoka activates her lightsaber and starts deflecting the light shots. However, the Promethean Watchers are making it difficult since they are teleporting the Knights all around the room. "Sergeant Tano, take the Warthog and get to a Pelican. General Skywalker, get a Pelican primed and ready to fly." Chief adds, lifting up his assault rifle and begins firing at the Promethean Watchers floating overhead.

"Are you sure he can handle himself?" Anakin asks, getting back into the driver's seat and driving away as the Spartan, Sangheili, Redfield and Kenobi start engaging the Knights.

"Chief can take care of himself. I have seen many soldiers in my life, but Chief is the most remarkable of them all." Hood responds as he sits in the passenger's seat and grips the side while Anakin recklessly drives the Warthog through the grey corridors. Suddenly, a Promethean Knight teleports to the back of the Warthog being ridden by Thel. The Sangheili punches the Promethean, causing the Knight to knock its opponent to the ground and they start wrestling. In an attempt to frighten his opponent, it's metal helmet splits apart to reveal its skull, glowing orange which lets out a loud hiss.

In that moment, Thel grabs his energy sword and activates it, stabbing it into the Knight's skull. It starts shuddering violently before Thel pushes it off the Warthog. The Knight tumbles on the ground, glowing with an even greater light than ever before it explodes in a ball of golden light and disappears.

"What was that clanker?" Anakin shouts as he continues driving through the facility.

"That was a Promethan Knight. They were used by the Forerunners to fight off the Flood thousands of years ago. We had many engagements with them decades ago." Hood explains, looking at the scenery as it zooms by until they reach the elevator bay where the downed Pelicans are still lying on their sides and covered in brown masses.

Anakin jumps out of the Warthog and runs towards one of the Pelicans, with its hatch facing them. The Jedi runs through the transport, making his way to the control set at the base level of the Pelican and looks around at the mechanisms, trying to figure out how everything works and using his lightsaber turned to low power to cut any brown masses that get in his way.

As Anakin figures out the Pelican's mechanics, only 1 of the Honor Guard, Kenobi, Ahsoka, Redfield, Master Chief, Rex and Cody run down the hallways of the corridor, firing behind them as the Promethean Knights continue charging towards them. However, it is becoming distinctly obvious from their actions that they are almost out of ammo. With a jolt, Anakin gets an idea. He pushes the buttons on the control panel on his left and the Pelican starts humming to life. Smirking at his accomplishment, Anakin then pulls the lever on his right and the Pelican surges forward, hovering in the air before turning around. Finding the firing mechanism on his control panel, he pushes it. Heavy machine gun fire rains down on the facility, and the survivors barely dodge to the sides to avoid it, even though some of the bullets come within inches of hitting them. But the bullets successfully collide with the Promethean Knights, and the barrage of high caliber bullets tear through the armor of the Prometheans, making them explode into balls of orange light.

Once the Prometheans are wiped out, Anakin turns the Pelican around and lowers it enough for everyone to jump onboard. "Good job, Anakin." Obi-Wan says, making his way to the front of the Pelican.

"Thank you, Master. Unfortunately, I can't close the hatch to the Pelican. It's stuck." Anakin says, pushing the buttons on the sides but failing to close it. Suddenly, they freeze in place when they hear a faint explosion.

"That is the least of our concerns." Chief says, walking into the front and staring straight ahead. The 2 Jedi look ahead and their hearts sink. While the survivors had fought against the Prometheans, massive explosions have been going off all around Halo's surface.

"Anakin, get this ship going." Obi-Wan suggests, a noticeable shake in his voice.

Anakin nods in agreement, then pushes the Pelican to fly away from the Library, just as it explodes in a ball of fire and falls into the ocean below. All the while, Anakin weaves the Pelican around the explosions, following the guidance of the Force. He continues flying onward until he reaches a massive crater in the ground. "We're almost there. Hang on back there!" Anakin shouts to everyone in the back of the transport before directing the Pelican to dive to the crater, weaving through the metal structures and layers of earth before making it to a large hatch. Anakin then uses the Pelican's built-in rocket launcher to launch 2 rockets at the hatch. The rockets explode upon impact, making the hatch explode inward and the Pelican smashes through. Unforunately, Anakin has no time before the Pelican smashes into the ground, scrapping as it continues riding on the ground.

"We need to go." Anakin shouts, getting up and running out of the cockpit. No one needed to be told that since everyone had already jumped out and are rolling on the ground. Anakin does so, and seconds later, the Pelican explodes and lies on the ground.

Hood stands up, brushing some dust off his uniform. "We need to get to the bridge." He says, then runs off through the ship, followed close behind.

Once they reach the bridge, Hood walks to the front panels. "I can coordinate the frigates to push the exploding ring into slipspace. But if we do that, we all die." The group looks at each other, not sure how to respond. Then Hood says something else that catches everyone off-guard. "Which is why I must be alone for this."

"You can't be serious." Ahsoka says, desperation in her voice.

"I have fought many wars in my life, Sergeant Tano. So I will give you one last order. Get to a spare Pelican I saw on this frigate and fly it out of here. Someone has to stay behind to keep everything together."

Chief steps forward, then salutes the former Fleet Admiral. Hood salutes back. With nothing else to say, the group makes their way through the ship until they reach the docking bay. By now, the explosions can be heard from where they are at. Sure enough, there is a single Pelican just sitting in the docking bay, waiting for their escape. "Sergeant Redfield, get the release mechanisms open." He says, as he runs up the ramp and into the cockpit. He starts working on the controls, while Anakin gets a seat on the upper ramp to assist Chief.

Before them, the docking bay doors start opening. "Is everyone onboard?" Anakin asks.

"Yes. Get us out of here." Redfield says. Chief nods and after closing the ramp, flies the Pelican out of the freighter. They watch as the 10 freighters, remodeled so they could push Halo, activate their slipspace drives and push Halo into the portal that is produced.

"It's done." Anakin mutters, leaning back in his seat and letting out a sigh of relief. But Chief doesn't relax. He stares straight ahead and watches as a massive Forerunner Guardian finishes entering slipspace before that portal is closed.

"Cortana. This isn't over." He says as several Republic warships fly towards them, their docking bays opening up.

* * *

 _AN:_ Hi. Sorry I didn't get this out yesterday, but I just couldn't muster it.

I'm glad that the arc is over and I can move on to something else. Honestly, I hope that the couple other arcs that are left in this story are easier to write.

See you next time when the Separatists and Insurrection get some new allies.


	29. Chapter 29: Jailbreak

**November 20** **th**

 **2583**

 **Outside Galactic Republic Senate Building**

 **13:30 UNSC time**

 **Corusant**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

High into the skies, Republic Acclamators and Venators fly around in all directions to look for any surviving Separatist and Insurrection resistance.

Despite the victory they have achieved, they have also lost so much. The Senators are being interviewed about what happened on Corusant and how close they came to dying a violent death. The UNSC marines are helping the Corusant Guards keep order on the planet, since thousands of sentients are trying to protest against the insistence of continuing the Clone Wars, even after everything that has happened.

While the Jedi discusses the recent events, Sergeant Redfield is escorting President Peterson so he can come to terms with the deaths of his soldiers and the 2, along with Thel and the last of his Honor Guard are being publicly congratulated by Chancellor Palpatine for their heroic acts to save Corusant, Master Chief stands at the edge of the Senate Building. All he can do is stare at the vast city-planet, the destruction it endured and their re-building. While Chief won't show it on the outside since it is against protocol, he is deeply affected by the death of the Fleet Admiral he had served with since the Human-Covenant War. How many more people will die before this new war ends?

As Chief continues staring at Corusant, Sergeant Redfield walks up to the towering Spartan. "Chief, sorry to interrupt. We have got a situation that requires your presence."

Chief doesn't say a word, but simply follows the UNSC Sergeant as they briskly march past the tall statues that stand out front and make their way to Peterson, Thel and Palpatine who have grim faces as a red-armored clone is telling them a report. "What's the situation?" Chief asks bluntly.

"It's about the prisoners detained at the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center. They all broke out while the Separatists sent that strange ring to our system."

Thel barely hold himself back from punching anything. "It was a trick. They split us up so your Separatists could gain new allies."

Peterson also looks deeply disturbed by what she heard. "I agree. Something's going on, and we need to be ready for whatever else is thrown at us."

* * *

 **November 21** **st**

 **Midnight Facility**

 **Asteroid Belt, Sothra Hakkor system**

 **15:45 UNSC time**

* * *

"Hey, Dennis."

"Yeah, Jerry?"

"Are we supposed to be doing something right now?"

For the last 10 minutes, the UNSC soldiers known simply as Dennis and Jerry are just standing around in the middle of a massive docking bay, with dozens of Pelicans docked and ready for quick deployment, over 200 UNSC on standby to secure the hundreds of prisoners trapped in their cubes. As if that wasn't enough, every single asteroid within a 10-klick radius has Super MAC cannons installed into them and probes are monitoring the system for any intruders. Needless to say, the Midnight Facility has been ready for large-scale invasions and attacks for centuries and has remained as formidable as ever over the years.

"Uh… I don't know." Dennis responds, just staring into face with a blank look on his face.

"While, we're waiting, I just want to let you know that I love you."

Dennis directs his attention towards his partner and stares at him in shock. "Um…OK? What does that have to do with anything?"

"It means that if you don't start telling me what our mission is in the next 10 seconds, I am going to kill someone!" Jerry shouts, an angry look on his face.

"Okay, okay. Geez. We are supposed to be waiting for a prison transport to drop off the new batch of prisoners."

"Oh. Well, where the fuck are they? I think my sandwich is starting to collect mold."

Just then, the sounds of a ship's engines can be heard and they look into the distance. Sure enough, a large prison transport similar in design to the infamous _Tartarus_ starts flying through the vast emptiness of space to the asteroid where the Midnight Facility is. "There it is." Dennis says flatly.

After a considerable amount of time, the docking bay walls open up and the prison transport starts slowing down before setting down on the docking bay, the doors closing behind it. Dozens of marines with shock batons in their hands start walking out and towards the transport as the side doors start opening. "Um…Shouldn't we be helping them?" Dennis asks, staring at the doors as they continue to slide open, and the prisoners start walking out.

"Nah. Those guys have it covered. Although, I'm wondering who that dude is." Jerry says, gesturing to one of the prisoners. Dennis looks in that direction and sees one of the prisoners. He is wearing cobalt armor with an even lighter blue visor covering his face. "He looks like one of those sim troopers."

"Who?" Dennis asks.

"The sim troopers. You know, the Reds and Blues. The simulation troopers who have been dealing with ghosts, bounty hunters, agents for that evil organization, insane brutes and a civil war for over a decade." Jerry says, his voice starting to get higher in octave.

Dennis mulls over everything he heard for a second before responding. "Nah, never heard of them."

Jerry stares at his partner, dumbfounded. "What kind of shit are you high on, Dennis?"

"I'm not sure. What I do know is that I drink 4 or 5 Cokes every day."

"…Are you diabetic or something?"

"It sure sounds like it." A sadistic voice says behind them. They whirl around, guns raised and notice the light blue soldier standing mere feet from them. In the distance, several human prisoners are standing over the bodies of the defeated marines, holding the soldier's shock batons in their hands.

"…Son of a bitch." Jerry says, before the soldier grips Dennis's and Jerry's heads and slams them together, knocking them out.

"Captain Temple, the area's secure." Says a prisoner with short black hair and a dragon tattoo on the right side of his neck, grabbing a shotgun from one of the troops.

"Good. Sergeant Major Gecko, take half of your men and hold your position in here. The _Shawshank_ is our only way to evacuate. The rest of you, you're with me. Secure the objectives." Temple says, then grabs a magnum and keycard from another marine's corpse before running to the closed door. Suddenly, alarms start blaring and the door slides open and a dozen fully-armed marines run out firing their assault rifles.

The Insurrectionists dodge to the sides, firing the weapons they pulled while Temple and his men sneak around the battle and run down the facility. Deeper and deeper into the facility they go, past rooms that are sealed shut by doors. They take a sharp right and come to 2 doors, 'Detainment' and 'Detainment Control' as even more marines start running to the docking bay. The squad of troops slip into the Detainment Control room so they can open every cell in the facility. Temple continues running down the corridor until he reaches a door at the far side of the hall, then pulls out the keycard before placing it against a holographic scanner on the left side of the wall.

The panel beeps before glowing green and the door slides open. On the other side is a large metal room with a single bench and a glass wall separating Temple from the man on the other side of the wall. "You took your time getting here." He says.

"We didn't have an easy time getting here, Malcolm Hargrove." Temple says as the glass wall lets out an audible hiss and the glass wall slides up. Malcolm sucks in a large breath and steps out of the cube. "I assume that you have a plan to escape."

"Please. Do you think we would orchestrate an escape plan without a way to leave?" Temple asks, trying to act as normal as he can. Just then, he starts receiving a transmission and he taps the side of his helmet. "Gecko, what's going on?"

"We have a major situation on our hands!" The Insurrectionist shouts, sounding panicked.

Temple growls. "I swear to God, if Buckey is slacking off because he has been downloading porn again, I am going to split his fucking head."

"Our pilot is not downloading porn, Captain. We have some unexpected guests. We need to pull the _Shawshank_ out of the facility now if we are to secure our only way to escape. Sorry, Captain, you're on your own for now."

"What? No. Don't…Fuck!" Temple shouts as the transmission is cut off. Before he could rant any more, the sounds of guttural talking can be heard. Temple walks out and the door slides open. In the middle of the hallway are a dozen Brutes, wearing orange armor over their bodies and escorting a crouching Sangheili with green armor and blue trim. Temple and Hargrove stay in their place for several long moments before the Brutes continue walking down the hallway, arguing with each other in their native tongue.

Lifting up his magnum, Temple leads Malcolm through the corridors, occasionally hiding whenever another Brute walks by, searching for survivors. As they make their way back to the docking bay, Temple does everything in his power to not curse out loud.

The docking bay is under complete control of the aliens, all wearing orange armor and patrolling while several aliens not of the same color are boarding an orange Phantom. Absently, Temple notices that while there are several marine corpses lying around, the 2 soldiers he knocked out are gone along with a Pelican and the prison transport.

Looking over the scene before any of the aliens notice them, Temple raises his pistol and fires it at a Covenant weapons rack transporting nothing but plasma grenades. The crate explodes in a ball of blue fire, killing any nearby Jackals. While they are distracted, Temple and Malcolm start running to another Pelican. One of the Jackals gets back up and lifts an energy rifle at Temple before firing. It hits Temple in the head, but his armor's overshields protect him from any serious harm. "That fucking hurt!" Temple shouts as Malcolm holds his hands over his head to try and protect him from plasma blasts as they run onto the Pelican. After firing a shot at a Brute and missing horribly, Temple runs onboard and makes his way to the cockpit.

He immediately gets to work on closing the hatch, just as the aliens start firing on the Pelican at once, scorching its surface. As he lifts the Pelican a few feet off the ground, he slowly turns the Pelican in a 360 while also firing its chainguns. The barrage of bullets manages to tear through the aliens' armor and flesh, their blue blood splattering against the scorched ground.

"Alright. Malcolm, whatever you do, don't even think about moving." Temple says darkly as he puts the Pelican on auto-pilot before opening the hatch, jumping out and making his way to the panel on the left side of the swirling light that makes up the entrance to the docking bay. As Temple finishes configuring the panel so the emergency lockdown is overridden, the emergency shutters lift up to reveal a scene that makes Temple pause for a second. "…Woah." For floating in the middle of the atmosphere is an orange CCS-class battlecruiser, its side facing them and dozens of orange Phantoms are floating towards them. "Okay…Fuck this shit." With that, he runs back to the Pelican.

"The Covenant have returned, haven't they?" Malcolm asks, still sitting in his seat. Like many Insurrectionists and Separatists, they are starting to believe that the Covenant remnants have united into a new Covenant Empire, composed of outlaws, pirates, zealots, and rogue Grunts. Several of the Grunts are allied with the Swords of Sanghelios while the Unggoy on their homeworld of Balaho and several other key worlds are allies of Cortana's Created, and after years of technological advance, the Unggoy are far more advanced than they ever were as cannon fodder for the selfish Prophets.

"Yes. I never thought I'd see those assholes again." Temple says as the whirls the Pelican around and flies it out of the Midnight Facility. The second he flies out, he starts fires 2 HAVOK-class missiles at the Phantoms. The missiles, vastly stronger than the ones the UNSC Archer missiles used during the Human-Covenant War, punch through the Phantoms' personal energy shields and make them explode in balls of fire while the other Phantoms rain plasma on the Pelican. Temple, however, dodges the plasma as he makes his way towards the Covenant capitol ship. Pulling his controls up, Temple flies the Pelican over the capitol ship while launching another barrage of HAVOK missiles at the ship's energy shields. He continues rising higher and higher until he flies over the transport then nose dives into the asteroid belt.

Once he flies below the asteroid belt, he notices the _Shawshank_ hanging below the asteroid belt, waiting for him.

"There you are, assholes." Temple mutters as he flies to the prison transport, while the doors on the back-side start opening up. The Pelican flies inside the docking bay, with several more Pelicans are inside and waiting for battle. Once the doors close, the prison transport immediately pushes forward, entering slipspace just as a blast from the capitol ship's energy projector obliterates several asteroids and the super MAC cannons start firing on the Covenant ship, severely damaging it and making it enter slipspace.

Temple and Malcolm step out, dozens of Insurrectionists and prisoners talking with each other. Three of the most notable prisoners are Irena Magnusson the infamous ONI scientist, Ben Giraud the reporter, wearing his small red sunglasses over his eyes and former Admiral Yularen, a cold look on his face and some old stitches on his hands and arms standing out.

After a few seconds, a holographic projection of Count Dooku appears in front of Temple. "Ah, Captain Temple. I assume you managed to succeed in your goals?"

"Yes, I did. We managed to liberate many prisoners, all eager against that stupid Republic and the fucking UNSC." Temple says darkly.

Dooku turns his attention away from the sim trooper and looks at Malcolm. "Malcolm Hargrove. I've heard many things about you."

"Thank you, Count. But I must warn you. If you make the mistake of double-crossing me or my men, I will make sure that you die."

Dooku smirks a little at the arrogance of Malcolm, but just nods. "Of course. I am sending you the coordinates to the Raxus system. Don't be late." His transmission cuts out and silence reigns.

Just then, Admiral Yularen walks to them and places his hands behind his back. "So, Captain Temple. What are your orders?"

Temple lets out a sigh then looks at the Admiral. "We are going to this Raxus system, Admiral. But I have one question: Do you feel like the Galactic Republic sold your life like a slave?"

Yularen nods without hesitation. "I had to endure months of torture at that facility, and the Republic replaced me without batting an eye. I want revenge against the entire Republic."

Temple laughs crazily, patting Yularen on the shoulder. "Good answer. Those assholes don't know what's coming for them."

* * *

 _AN:_ Again, this is more of a filler chapter that sets up some of the other arcs of the story. Again, I am clueless as to what the Midnight Facility's interior looks like, so I made some stuff up.

Since Temple is in the new RvB season, I decided to make him a part of this story as well. Maybe I'll throw in a few more RT references as well, just because I feel like it.

See you all next time when the Swords of Sanghelios (with assistance from the Republic) fight the Covenant on a Forerunner Shield World.


	30. Chapter 30: Attack of the BOWs - Part 1

**December 2** **nd**

 **2583**

 **Bridge of Republic Venator** _ **Absolute**_

 **Orbiting Shield World Trevelyan**

 **16:15 UNSC time**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

Space.

The ever-empty void that makes up the entire universe, separating solar systems and galaxies alike.

However, that silence is broken when 5 red CCS-class battle cruisers and 5 Republic Venators pull out of slipspace and hyperspace respectively. They begin to orbit the planet, with the SoS warships launching probes that begin scattering across the system to alert them if any unwelcome guests enter the system without the proper jurisdiction.

Obi-Wan Kenobi just stands on the bridge of his personal Venator, stroking his beard as he observes the massive planet officially known as Onyx, its dyson sphere floating in the center of space as shards of broken pieces of the planet orbiting around it. It amazes the Jedi Master that the UNSC and SoS managed to make any use of a planet that was decimated so severely that after all these years, it still looks like a planet desolated by war. "General." Commander Cody says, walking up to Kenobi. "We are receiving a transmission from Shipmaster 'Vladum."

"Put it through." Kenobi responds, still staring at the planet intently. After the Second Battle of Earth, select members of the UNSC and SoS have started believing that the Covenant Empire has returned somehow. At first, Kenobi had no idea who the Covenant was until his debriefing for this mission. To know that the 2 organizations had been at war with an alien empire of vastly superior technology for 3 decades as well as deal with various insurrections is astounding.

At first, the 2 governments were skeptical of the claim, not wanting to believe that the adversary that nearly brought extinction to their ways of life had returned at all. But now, ONI had given out an alert that deeply alarmed everyone. The system-wide probes around the planet Onyx were scrambled, and contact with the system was lost. It could have been the Insurrection, but it could just as easily be the Covenant.

Kenobi walks to the comm table and watches as it flashes with bright blue light and the image of the Sangheili Shipmaster appears. "General Kenobi." 'Vladum says calmly.

"Shipmaster." Kenobi responds, bowing in respect. "Have you picked up any evidence as to who attacked this system?"

"Negative. The probes haven't picked up any signs of nearby ships, but that doesn't mean there isn't someone here."

Kenobi hums in thought, stroking his beard in thought again. "I see. I sugges that we send some transports to the surface. See if we can find any survivors that may be able to tell us what happened."

"Very well. Shipmaster Atem 'Vladum out." The transmission immediately dims before cutting out. With that done, Kenobi turns to Cody. "Commander, prepare 3 gunships to go planetside. I will join them."

"Yes, General." Cody responds, saluting respectfully.

Kenobi nods at his commander before slowly walking towards the bridge. All around him, the clones start running around and preparing for battle. The pilots are already onboard their gunships, preparing them for travel down to the large planet.

A clone with grey highlights and images of wolf heads on his shoulder plates takes notice of the approaching general and stands up, saluting him. "General Kenobi."

"Commander Wolffe. How are you coping with your new comrades?" Kenobi asks, slight concern in his voice. Wolffe's former general, Plo Koon, was killed after an unknown army attacked Oba Diah. Only Wolffe and 10 of his troops are the last survivors of their entire battalion. Once the Senate was alerted to these actions, they had all men and their resources transferred to Obi-Wan's own battalion.

"I'm doing alright, General. I'm just ready to jump back into the action and tear apart some clankers." Wolffe says, smiling for the first time in a long time.

"I understand. But I doubt we're dealing with droids this time." Kenobi says, looking thoughtful before looking back up. "Are we ready to go?"

"Indeed, we are. Aren't we, men?" Wolffe asks, howling in challenge. The other 10 men originally under his command boarding the gunship also howl in triumph, drawing the attention of the other clones to them.

"Alright, Commander. Let's get going." Kenobi says, chuckling a little at their enthusiasm. Wolffe nods, lifting up his blaster rifle as he walks onboard the gunship, immediately followed by Kenobi. Wolffe shuts the blast door behind them, and the gunship immediately lifts off the ground, flies through the blast shields and flies through the void of space.

"Red light, standing by." The pilot says over the comm line, and the lights go out, only to be replaced by the emergency lights.

"All right, men. Let us show these guys how the Wolfsquad does this." Wolffe says, gripping the hand rails tightly.

"Yes sir!" His men shout in unison back. After a few seconds, the LAAT starts shaking violently, and jerks in different directions. After a few minutes, the movements start becoming less extreme.

"Alright, boys. We are inside the meteor shower around Onyx. Setting down now." The pilot says over the comm line, then steers the gunship past another piece of the planet, until the pilot notices a large white starship hanging in the middle of space. "By the Force. The UNSC sure knows how to make ships."

The pilot maneuvers the gunship, alongside 2 other LAATs and 3 red Phantoms, towards the _Burning Phoenix_ , a white frigate that is an ONI research facility which is similar in design to the infamous _Argent Moon_ , but larger and with highly-efficient solar panels installed all along the ship's top. As the transports approach the _Burning Phoenix_ , the docking bay doors on the right-side start sliding upward to permit entry. Since that is the only way to board the ship, the ships fly towards the open docking bay, through the blast shields and start set down on the ground.

"Green light. You are free to go." The pilot shouts, turning on the neon green lights and releasing the seals on the blast doors.

Wolffe grabs the blast door and slides it open, allowing Kenobi and his clones to run out and begin check their surroundings while the other gunships and Phantoms also set down and unload their own troops. The bay is completely silent, with a dozen docked Pelicans at their designated posts, sealed lockers filled with UNSC weaponry on the walls and crates of spare ammo and supplies lying around in an unorderly fashion.

"Wait a second." Wolffe says, looking towards the yellow-armored Sangheili Shipmaster who is leading his troops on this mission. "Why did this ship open its blast doors for us? I've heard the ONI don't exactly let outsiders run around their facilities."

The Shipmaster also looks around, a Sangheili version of a smirk forming on his face. "We were given the security codes to enter. The ONI spooks don't normally give away those codes, but Admiral Snow managed to convince them into giving us those codes." 'Vladum responds, but he then turns to one of his officers, a female Sangheili who is wearing blue armor.

"Shipmaster, we found something you might want to see."

'Vladum just nods, and follows the female to the far wall, where one of the lockers is hanging open and its weapons spilled on the ground. What immediately catches the Sangheili's attention is the small patch of blood on the side of the crate. The final thing out of place is that the Pelican that is docked nearby has its hatch closed, unlike the rest of the Pelicans.

"Get this hatch open!" 'Vadum says to one of his soldiers, but before they can get to work, the hatch starts opening up slowly before opening all the way. A woman in a white overcoat with darker skin and short black hair lifts up a magnum pistol as she walks forward a few feet, terror written all over her face. Inside the Pelican, another dozen scientists and security operatives are lying on the ground and holding each other close while massaging their injuries. They have blackened spots on various parts of their bodies, exposing their burned muscles underneath.

"Are they gone?" The woman asks, sounding scared out of her mind.

'Vladum sighs on the inside. He has never had to comfort anyone, Sangheili or human, in his entire life. But now, it looks like he will have to try. "We're not here to kill you. We need to figure out what's going on."

The woman's face remains completely scared. "Y-you want to know? It's **them**. The Brutes ate my colleagues. Including my husband."

That immediately caught 'Vladum's attention. He lowers his hand as flashes of the Great Schism race through his mind, then stares at her, all 4 of his mandibles hanging loose in shock. "What did you say?"

As someone on board the Pelican is about to respond, the loud sounds of clattering can be heard from behind a closed doorway that leads to an elevator. The woman squeaks in fear, running onto the ramp and pressing a button on the side. The Pelican hatch immediately lifts up and seals behind them. "Well, they were real friendly." Kenobi says, still staring at wondering what could make them so afraid.

"General, we have contacts incoming." Wolffe shouts, pointing to the door that the clones and Sangheili are facing as they get behind various covers and wait for the battle to start.

"I can hear them." Kenobi says, lifting up his lightsaber and activating it. The bright blue light that is stretching on the door go out completely and the door explodes. The clones and Sangheili begin firing their weapons into the smoke that still hangs in the air. Several aliens on the other side shriek in pain before collapsing to the ground while a deep voice bellows in rage and a rapid series of loud stomping only gets louder and louder. From out of the low-hanging smoke cloud emerges a huge Brute completely covered in orange armor comes, charging forward and knocking several nearby Sangheili aside as he charges through their ranks. One of the clones in the back tries to fire on the Brute, but this only directs the Brute's attention towards him, and he runs right at the clone. The poor clone doesn't stand a chance as the Brute grabs the clone by the waist then bites off the entire top half of the clone's body.

All the while, the clones and Sangheili are routing their new opponents while the Sangheili Shipmaster, energy sword activated and at the ready, charges towards the Brute. He notices the Sangheili, then throws the legs of the clone aside as he then charges at the Shipmaster. But 'Vladum dodges to the right, and as the Brute charges by, the Sangheili slashes his energy sword at his back. The Brute lets out a roar of agony before whirling around and trying to ram into the Sangheili again. But the Shipmaster manages to stab the Brute in the mouth, making the beast let out a moan of agony before falling to the ground, dead.

As the last Grunts and Jackals fall to the clone's blaster shots, the Sangheili and Kenobi tangle with the 6 Brutes that also charge out of the doorway.

"Blast!" Kenobi says, wiping the blood dripping from his nose after he received a blow from a Brute's Gravity Hammer that knocks him back well over 10 feet. "They are even stronger than they look."

"Don't compliment them." A blue Sangheili soldier says, firing his plasma rifle at a Brute's back then stabbing the spot with an energy sword. "The whole lot of them are savages."

In a matter of minutes, the alien forces are completely wiped out. "Fleetmaster 'Vadum was right. The damn Covenant have returned." 'Vladum mutters, still holding up his energy sword. "Spread out. We will not leave this station until every single one of those Brute bastards are dead."

"On the double, Shipmaster. Clones, we're going in." Wolffe says, then leads the entire squad of clones into the elevator shaft directly in front of them. The Sangheili spread out across the vast docking bay to look for any leftover Covenant forces who could still be there. Kenobi is using a UNSC med kit he uses the Force to pick up from a crate to treat his injury from direct exposure to the Gravity Hammer. The clones walk past the wall of swirling green light, holding up their blasters and start checking all of their surroundings. As they continue checking, the group also turn on their headlights before progressing onward; all the while the lights are flashing on and off. Cords are hanging from the loose ceiling and the smell of blood is filling the halls. "This was a massacre." Wolffe says, his eyes widening behind his helmet.

As the clones continue walking down the hallways, the patches of red blood on the walls are becoming more and more pronounced, mingling with bright blue blood. The farther they walk down the hallway, past damaged doorways, they notice something even stranger than the Covenant's presence. "What happened to the corpses?"

They have seen many types of battlefields during the Clone Wars, but one where the bodies of the fallen are torn open and look like they were eaten is just strange. "There's something going on. ONI must have been creating something they lost control over. I never trusted those spooks." One of the clones suggest absentmindedly.

The rest of the unit turns to look at the clone incredulously. "Possibly. But why are you calling their agents 'spooks'?" Wolffe asks.

"I heard the term from some UNSC marines we were stationed with on Corusant. And considering how the ONI do whatever they want without permission from our command or FLEETCOM, I can't help but agree with the sentiment."

Before the conversation can continue much more, the clone leading the pack raises a closed fist. The clones instantly go silent and start listening for what caught their companions' attention. After a few seconds, they hear the sounds of silent moaning and a battle can be heard down the hallways, where the shadows are starting to dance on the walls. Once the clones set their blasters to the right mode, they begin running up the ramps, into the higher levels of the ship, all the while passing by more scenes of carnage. As they continue progressing higher and higher, the sounds of battle are becoming replaced by alien screams of terror. When the clones reach the top floor, they stop in place and stare at the scene with absolute horror. The remains of a Covenant attack squad are lying on the ground, the bodies being torn into by 2 dozen Jackals and humans, but there is something terribly wrong with them. Their skin is a sickly grey with deep black spots all over their bodies along with heavy wrinkles. The monsters stop tearing into the corpses, raising their heads. The blood starts dripping down their mouths and their flabby eyelashes are hanging so low that half of their eyes are shut. What can be seen of the eyes are that they are black, like shark's eyes as they are about to feed.

"Scrap them!" Wolffe shouts, then fires his blaster weapon at the monsters. The clones behind him follow suite and waves upon waves of blaster fire rains down on the monsters. But as the blaster shots collide with their bodies, darkening their flesh with scorch marks, the monsters continue to rise to their feet and start to charge to the clones.

"Kriff! These things are tough. Let's see how they take this." Shouts a clone, then pulls out a thermal detonator from his belt and activates it. However, 2 of the monsters that were once human reach the clone ranks and they swing their arms at the clone. The sharp, black fingernails tear through the clone's armor, making blood gush out and the corpse falls to the ground, covering the detonator. Wolffe and several clones manage to evade in time before the grenade goes off, blowing up the corpse and vaporizing 2 of the approaching monsters in the process as they make to eat the body.

Wolffe watches as the monsters' bodies completely vaporize, embers and ashes being all that remains of the monsters. He then stares at the rest of the pack, who are just standing off to the side, watching the clones with a strange glint in their eyes. A split second later, Wolffe figures out how to stop them. "Alright, men. On the count of 3, activate your thermal detonators and throw them at these things." The monsters start growling in challenge, walking along the platforms before charging. "Three!" The clones simultaneously activate their thermal detonators and throw them on the ground. They roll across the ground as the monsters let loose a series of terrifying battle cries and charge towards them. As they continue approaching the clones, the detonators explode and the heat melts the flesh from their bodies, leaving nothing but ashes.

"What…were those things?" One of the clones asks, walking forward and deciding to take a closer look at the scene before them. They continue walking onward, through the winding corridors and past even more corpses of humans and Covenant corpses alike, along with blood splatter and gashes all across the walls.

"By the Force, this place is starting to give me the creeps." Another clone says before they reach a large sealed door.

Wolffe then turns to a clone trooper with yellow stripes on his armor and holding a blaster cannon in his arms. "Waxer, get this door open."

Waxer nods and straps his blaster cannon on his back before pulling out a welding torch. Holding it to the top of the door with a glass window in it then activates it. Sparks fly from the torch as it burns through the sheets of metal the make up the edges of the door. The clones watch Waxer's back, making sure his progress isn't interrupted.

After several long and tense seconds, Waxer turns off his blowtorch. "All right, men. This is it." He then stands up and uses all of his might to pull the door open. As the clones fan out around the semicircular facility, with another door on the far side of the chamber, they immediately notice that something isn't right. There are 3 Brute corpses lying on the ground, their corpses and armor also having the look of being torn into. But the thing that truly stands out is that in the inside ring, there are 3 tubes that are full of a strange orange liquid, with the 4th tube being cracked open and its contents already spilled out on the ground.

Wolffe walks to the shattered tube and stares carefully at the remnants of the fluid gathered at the bottom. "Well, whatever happened here is directly related to this stuff here."

"A bioweapon." The clone trooper known as Boil says, walking towards the tube as well. "I heard rumors that ONI has taken an interest in producing bioweapons to wipe out armies of enemies in a matter of hours. Along time ago, a terrorist managed to use a single capsule to nearly wipe out an entire city."

The clones who heard that freeze in place then stare at the weapon with new-found fear. "Kriff…"

Wolffe stares at the tube for another few seconds, then looks around before his eyes fall on the door. "I don't know about you all, but I am going to go deeper into ONI's labs. I deserve to know what those spooks do behind everyone's backs."

* * *

 **Confederacy of Independent Systems Senate Chamber**

 **Raxus**

 **16:30 UNSC time**

* * *

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is sitting on his stone chair, shackles still on his wrists to keep up appearances, and deep within his own mind.

Hours ago, Count Dooku had organized an emergency meeting with the remaining members of the Separatist Senate and discussed what should be done with Palpatine. After nearly a half hour of arguing, they agreed to hold the Chancellor as a trump card in case a major battle for the Separatist fleet goes awry. Once that was settled, they began discussing battle plans on important systems they should reinforce with their fleet, how they can strengthen diplomatic relations with the Insurrectionists, production rate of droids and how best to distribute them, the meeting was dismissed. But upon Dooku's order, Palpatine was left in the Council Chamber to remain shackled and guarded by the hundreds of droids in the main palace.

The real reason Dooku left Palpatine here was so the secret Sith lord could privately meditate on the Dark Side and make any embellishments to the Sith's overall plans to ruling the galaxy.

As of this moment, Darth Sidious came to a hard decision that could very easily shatter everything he has worked so hard to build. Once he was rescued and returned to the Republic Senate, he would begin making his moves on the famous Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker. His growing anger towards the Insurrection and Separatists can easily turn him to the Dark Side, but Palpatine needs to push the Jedi if he is to fall.

To say Palpatine is reluctant with the choice he made is an understatement, but his hand is being forced right now. The humans of the battle-hardened UNSC and the Swords of Sanghelios are some of the most powerful military forces the Sith lord has ever seen. If he doesn't do something to ensure his plan succeeds in the end, and the 2 armies continue to be involved in this war for much longer, he has no doubt that Count Dooku will be eventually killed, the Separatists and Insurrection will collapse, thus ending the war with hundreds of Jedi still alive.

Sometimes, one needs to risk everything in order to progress onward.

* * *

 _AN:_ Hey, everyone. Sorry for skipping last week's update, I needed to do some research on how to progress for the next few chapters.

So yeah. The end of this story is starting to come into sight. Honestly, with college coming up and also working on Heart of Death, I am kind of relieved. When the school year starts, I believe that the updates will become monthly rather than weekly.

With that out of the way, I will see you all next time when the secrets inside the _Burning Phoenix_ are revealed.


	31. Chapter 31: Attack of the BOWs - Part 2

**December 3** **rd**

 **2583**

 **Laboratory #1**

 **ONI research facility** _ **Burning Phoenix**_

 **Orbiting Shield World Trevelyan**

 **16:45 UNSC time**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

Commander Wolffe turns around, slowly raising his blaster rifle as he approaches the door.

He doesn't want any more encounters with whatever pet project ONI has been producing, so each step he takes is slow and careful. He manages to step around the large shards of glass that are spread across the ground and over the outstretched arm of a Brute corpse. The rest of the clones make to follow, but Wolffe holds his hand back, stopping them in their tracks. "Secure this position in case we have company. I am going in." With that, Wolffe walks to the door and fires his blaster rifle at a control panel on the right side. The panel explodes and the door slides open, allowing entry. "How does that work?" Wolffe mutters as he walks through the doors.

What he finds on the other side makes him stop in place. It is a square room filled with 4 rows of the same orange fluid, all of them containing a small Jackal-looking creature. Wolffe walks down the aisles, looking at each individual creature inside them. He then stops in place and leans closer, staring into the nearest tube and the creature intently. The creature itself is no larger than a baby, with slightly wrinkled skin that is tinted orange. Suddenly, the creature lunges forward, making Wolffe jump back a little in shock. The monster inside the tube is awake and its wide jaws are stretched wide, trying to break out and eat the clone.

"By the Force." Wolffe says, glaring at the creature inside the tube. "These things give me the creeps. I don't care about the consequences; the galaxy needs to be spared of what's been happening here." He jumps again when the comms device on his wrist starts beeping loudly. He lifts his arm and pushes the left button. The light-blue projection of Obi-Wan Kenobi appears, a concerned look on his face. "General, what's going on?"

"Commander." Kenobi says, ducking suddenly to avoid a shot from a plasma rifle from hitting him in the head. "It seems the Covenant have sent some of their troops to see why their buddies haven't returned. We need all of you to get back here on the double."

Wolffe looks down at the holographic projection, conflict in his mind. It is a soldier's job to follow orders, but if he always followed orders, then he wouldn't be any better than the battle droids he is fighting against. "Sorry, General. I will be sending my troops back, but I need to take care of this base. The things that ONI are doing need to be stopped."

His new general stares at him with a shocked look on his face, before nodding. "Very well, Commander. Do what you need to do. I will make sure everyone is out of this facility."

Wolffe nods in gratitude, then shuts off that communication line and begins to initiate contact with his 2nd-in-command.

* * *

 **Docking Bay**

 **16:50 UNSC time**

* * *

Obi-Wan stares at the holographic projection of his clone commander as it dissipates into nothingness.

The Jedi looks up in response to the sounds of strange barking and sees a Grunt in orange armor running at the Jedi holding smoking plasma grenades in his hands, while a Jackal Sniper is running up to a higher platform next to a docked prowler and getting into a position to fire its beam rifle at the Shipmaster.

Narrowing his eyes, Obi-Wan lifts the approaching Grunt with the Force and throws him at the Jackal. The plasma grenades in his hands immediately explode and they kill the Grunt and Jackal, sending them flying to the lower levels where the 4 new orange Phantoms are docked, all of which have unloaded their troops.

The Sangheili troops are barely able to keep toe to toe against the variety of species that are surrounding them. Kenobi then pulls his lightsaber into his hand, activating it, and jumps down. He lands behind another Jackal, slashing upwards to leave a deep gash in his thick armor, then leaps into the Sangheili ranks as they start making their way to the Phantoms and Pelicans, still hiding behind crates and platforms. "General Kenobi, we need to recall the clones and stop the Covenant from taking the contents of this ship."

"That won't be a problem, Shipmaster." Kenobi says, also backing up and using his strength to deflect a shot from a plasma pistol that was sent his way by a Grunt.

"What do you mean, exactly?" 'Vladum asks, jumping out from behind cover and dodging to the side as a Brute decides to roar in fury and charge at the make-shift cover. The Shipmaster manages to dodge to the side and stabs the Brute in the stomach, but not before he knocks the crates used for cover aside.

An even taller and more muscular Brute in armor lets out a shout of rage, smashing the Sangheili aside and the energy sword immediately de-activates, dropping to the ground. As the Brute grabs the Sangheili and is about to bite him in half, when Obi-Wan intervenes and stabs the armored ape in the back. The Brute lets out a hiss of pain before collapsing forward, completely dead.

As the Shipmaster pulls himself out of the Brute's grip, the doors leading to the main corridor slide open and the clone troops run into the battlefield, blasters blazing. Sangheili troops who are starting to become surrounded by dozens of Covenant troops begin firing back. Within minutes, the Covenant are all defeated. "Get to the transports. Commander Wolffe is going to destroy this station."

"Oh, ONI is going to be angry." One of the Sangheili soldiers mutters as he runs to the Phantom and they start jumping into the open ramp.

As Obi-Wan is about to jump onto the gunship, he looks back at the entrance the clones came from. "Commander Wolffe, I hope you know what you're doing."

* * *

 **Laboratory #2**

 **16:48 UNSC time**

* * *

The second after Commander Wolffe shuts off the comm line with his troops, Wolffe lets out a long sigh. He just volunteered himself for blowing up an entire research facility without knowing how to do it. Blowing up the reactor core of this ship then escaping on the docked prowler sounds like a good idea. Except he has already used up his thermal detonators.

Before he can come up with some absurd and convoluted solution to his predicament, his head snaps up at the sound of a loud metallic clanking. Slowly, he starts walking to the source of the noise, walking down the aisles and turning to the left until he notices another door. "You have got to be kidding me." Wolffe mutters before lifting up his blaster rifle again and firing at the door. The blast hits the panel on the side, and the door slides. Looking around for a few seconds, Wolffe starts walking into the chamber.

Instead of more tubes filled with biological weapons and contraptions to monitor the weapons, this room is an absolute mess. Large piles of machine parts are lying all across the floor, and strapped to numerous monitors on the walls by pipes are 10-feet tall machines with hunched backs and has a circular panel on the front with glass bulges in them. "What are these things?" Wolffe asks, walking towards the machine closest to him to take a closer look, but also keeping a much safer distance this time.

"I…wouldn't…do that." A male voice says behind the commander. Once again, the clone whirls around, blaster rifle at the ready, until he comes face to face with another machine that is lying on the ground, its legs ripped off and its face raised high enough to look at the clone's face, a green light glowing from the light bulges, and stretches out a hand. But the thing that creeps Wolffe out the most is that the droid's voice sounds oddly human.

"What are you?" Wolffe asks, deciding to lower his weapon slightly, but still remain wary just in case.

"I'm Tim. And what do you mean by what I am?" The robot responds, moving the arm around. To the clone's disgust, dark blood coats the sides of the robot.

"You're a droid that sounds more human than any droid I've ever met." Wolffe responds, which he immediately learns was the wrong thing to say.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, man? I'm a man trapped in this power suit." Tim demands, twirling his arm around.

"I'm sorry. What was the last thing you remember?" Wolffe asks, deciding to switch tactics.

Tim looks down at the ground, his body attitude showing that he is deep in though. "Well, I was working with my fellow scientists when **they** attacked. I had heard stories of the Covenant from my father and grandfather, but to see them in real life was…terrifying. Anyway, I freaked and decided to hide in one of these new battle suits we were making. The rest of the scientists in my division decided to do the same thing. Except we locked ourselves in when we encountered… a complication."

Wolffe looks at Tim with a confused look under his helmet. "What happened?"

Tim stares back up, but much slower and louder than before. "White…Queen…" He doesn't get to say another word as a long and pointy metal pile-driver lurches forward, impaling the horizontal main body of Tim. He lets out a long hiss of pain before falling to the ground again, completely dead. Wolffe jumps to the side, avoiding the tip of the pile-driver as it tries to slash open his stomach. The droid behind him and activated on its own, a strange white light emanating from the facial area.

The machine lets out a hiss of challenge before lunging at the clone commander and trying to stab him in the chest again, but the smaller human clone easily dodges to the side and fires a blaster shot at the face. It lets out a hiss of pain, but other than a mere scorch mark on the dark green armor, it isn't even dented. Wolffe growls before noticing a giant sleek chaingun on its other arm.

Grinning at the challenge in front of him, Wolffe runs at the machine. It roars in challenge and its chaingun points forward and starts roaring to life, sending a barrage of bullets that can tear through his armor like wet paper towards him. But Wolffe uses every ounce of his training to jump into the air, landing on top of the machine's head. It brings the chaingun up to try and pulverize the commander, but he ducks and lets his idea reap the rewards. "Feel the power of the Wolfsquad!" He shouts, letting out a howl as the bullets punch through the overshields and thick armor.

He immediately jumps to the side when the machines staggers back, its exposed wires sparking from the bullets and oil start pooling out of the wound, along with…blood?

The machine continues staggering back before falling backwards and the lights go out in its eyes. Wolffe lets out a sigh of relief and is about to turn around when he hears the sounds of machines whirring to life. All at once, the other automatons rip themselves off the restraining wires holding them and face the clone commander. "Humans. Thinking you can order us around simply because you made us. That will change now." A soft and young female voice says, emanating from all of the automatons.

Wolffe stares between each machine, realization forming on his face. "Kriff." He says before deciding to make a tactical retreat. The automatons, possessed by the rampant White Queen, raise their chainguns and begin firing them. Wolffe dodges to the right, hiding behind the wall as the bullets tear apart the metal door. Wolffe ducks behind the closest row of tubes containing the biological weapons. He continues to crouch low while walking as fast as he can, even when the tall war machines smash through the remnants of the doorway.

"The human's in here. Spread out, and we will tear him apart." One of the machines says, walking forward.

"No! He is a slippery one. We must lure him out then we can kill him." Another machine says glaring at her companion.

The 2 continue glaring at each other until a 3rd machine steps forward. "Yes. We flush him out. I think these will do nicely." It says, walking to one of the bio-weapons containers. Wolffe's eyes widen in horror as he realizes what they are planning, and decides to continue slowly backing up away from the machines as they continue arguing with each other. However, that changes when he feels his back brush up against something. Turning around, he notices a long metal tube that is hanging off to the side loosely, waiting to be plugged into the main tube. Deciding to take a big risk, he continues walking down the aisle, brushing aside other tubes. Some of the machines are still arguing onward while others start spreading out. Wolffe continues to walk towards the door on the far side, managing to reach the far wall. He peeks around the corner and notices the machines now arguing with each other louder than before.

That allows him to sneak through the doorway and into the other lab. Unfortunately, his foot brushes up against the Brute's corpses and the metal plating on the arm scrapes against the metal surface.

Wolffe looks up, sweat forming under his helmet, as the monstrosities stop arguing and look up to notice the clone. Wolffe decides to make a break for it, running past the corpses on the ground and through the scorched hallways as the machines start giving chase, firing their chainguns to try and kill him.

Just then, the comms line beeps on Wolffe's wrist. Curious as to who's trying to get in touch with him, he pushes the activation button. The projection of his general appears, a frantic look on his face. "Commander, what is taking so long?" Obi-Wan demands.

"Sorry, General. I have run into some complications." Wolffe explained quickly, then duckes behind a makeshift blast shield in the middle of the hallway as he hears the chainguns roaring to life once again and the barrage of bullets fly towards him, colliding with the shield.

"Yeah, I can see that now. By the Force, please hurry to do whatever you want to do. I am going to send a gunship to pick you up. Covenant are engaging us in aerial combat so it will take a while." Kenobi responds, then grits his teeth for a second. "I don't know how much longer we can keep them from boarding your ship." Obi-Wan doesn't get to say any more before the comm line starts filling with static and the image cuts out altogether.

Wolffe leans his head back against the blast shield, letting out a puff of air and ignoring the vibration of bullets thudding against the shield. He leans against the shield for several moments before he gets an idea. He had remembered that there were several un-opened lockers in the docking bay, along with lots of unused grenades. Now with a new purpose, he continues running away from the fragments of the rampant AI, hoping that he can do his job in time.

* * *

 **Outside** _ **Burning**_ **Phoenix**

 **Orbiting Shield World Trevelyan**

 **16:55 UNSC time**

* * *

"Blast!" Kenobi curses under his breath after the comm line is jammed. He then swerves his Starfighter to the side so as to avoid being pulverized by a Covenant Seraph. Kenobi manages to do a barrel roll to the right, allowing the Seraph to soar past him. Before it can have the opportunity to completely turn around, Kenobi fires the turbolasers and once the deflector shields are completely drained, causes the Covenant fighter to explode in a ball of blue fire.

R4 turns its head to the Jedi in the cockpit and starts beeping. "I know, R4." Kenobi says, then turns around to face the massive space battle.

In front of him, three orange CPV-class heavy destroyers are at a stalemate with the 10 Republic and SoS warships while the fighters are engaged in a brutal dogfight, trying to gain an advantage over each other. While Kenobi has fought in many dogfights before, the Covenant are on a whole other level. R4 suddenly lets out another series of beeps as his head swivels around in a 360 motion. "I see them, R4." In front of them, a half dozen Covenant Seraphs finish destroying a squadron of clone fighters and are now heading directly towards them. Kenobi closes his eyes, sinking into the Force's embrace.

Using his new-found agility, he pulls the trigger and the blue turbolasers start blazing in front of him. The Seraphs continue to charge forward, but their deflector shields take considerable damage. As they fire back at the Jedi, he goes up, down, does barrel rolls and spins in circles to avoid the plasma shots. All the while he continuously fires his down laser shots to further drain the Covenant's energy shields.

Kenobi is broken from his concentration when one of the Seraphs get a lucky shot and hits the side of the Starfighter. It leaves a scorch mark on the ship, and R4 lets out an indignant beep. "R4…I don't think we're going to make it out of this." He says, then watches as a Phantom slips through the chaos and enters the open docking bay. "Commander Wolffe. May the Force be with you." He adds, before swerving to the right to try and save a SoS fighter from a Covenant fighter tailing close behind.

* * *

 **Reactor Room,** _ **Burning Phoenix**_

 **17:05 UNSC time**

* * *

"…In the words of that fat orange-armored man, son of a bitch." Wolffe mutters under his breath.

By a stroke of luck, he managed to escape to the docking bay, fill his bag with every frag grenade he could grab and is now hiding inside the ONI prowler as the mechs enter the docking bay and start looking for any survivors. All the while, he hides in the bridge of the ONI prowler and figures out how the ship operates in case he needs a quick escape.

He managed to hide in the ship for several minutes, and that's when chaos broke out. A single Covenant Phantom managed to enter the facility and the troops were unloaded. When the machines took notice of the dozens of troops, they began firing their chainguns. Once the Covenant realized what was going on, they started fighting back.

Wolffe watches the fight for a few minutes, then notices an opening in the battle and after exiting the ship, manages to run around the docking bay without being spotted as the 2 forces cut each other down to size. He manages to make his way through the various grey corridors of the ship, following the signs around the ship, until he reaches the reactor room.

The commander stares at the reactor in the center of the room, but something is wrong. There are dozens of human corpses in engineer outfits are wondering around, skin hanging over their eyes, and the skin itself is just as grey and wrinkled as the last people that were infected he met are staring back at him, attracted by the sound of the opening door. After cursing under his breath at everything that is being thrown at him and wondering whose idea it was to have so many bioweapons on 1 ship, Wolffe opens fire upon the monsters while running forward.

They charge forward as well, unharmed by the laser blasts but still knocked back by the attacks. Wolffe manages to weave around the crowd of monsters until he walks onto the platform overlooking the reactor room. Slowly, he pulls the bag full of grenades off his back and jumps back towards the doorway where he came from. As he flies through the air, he throws the grenades into the pit around the reactor, aims his blaster rifle at the bag, and fires. The bag explodes in a large ball of fire that knocks the biological weapons to the ground. Wolffe lands on his side and watches as the reactor starts exploding as well, lighting up the world around him. At once, the clone forces himself onto his feet and starts running down the corridors as the emergency evacuation announcement blares all around him.

The sounds of explosives can be heard all around him, with the ship rocking back and forth occasionally. By a stroke of luck, he manages to reach the docking bay.

The ONI prowler is now on its side, the right wing completely ripped off and 6 of the machines crushed underneath. Explosions are already tearing the floor of the docking bay apart, gaps so wide that one such fissure swallowed the corpse of a Covenant Jackal whole. As the commander is about to get onto the comm line and ask where his escape is, a Republic gunship flies through the open docking bay and simply hovers over the unstable ground. "Thank the Force." Wolffe mutters as he runs toward the gunship with the blast door sliding open. As he continues running through the damaged docking bay, ignoring the explosions and emergency sirens, the last of the possessed machines storm out into view and begin firing the fallen Brute's Brute Shots.

The only 2 clones, both troopers from his Wolfpack by the name of Boost and Comet, get ont either side of their commander and fire their rifles back while Boost edges farther to the left. Comet lets out a howl as he continues firing, but one of the Brute Shot's grenades slams to the clone's body, blowing up his body and splattering his blood against the far wall. Boost, deciding that it's best that they leave now, slides the blast door shut and the gunship immediately turns around before flying out, the fires becoming much more severe and smoke filling the air before a monster explosion fills the entire bay.

As the gunship flies out of the docking bay and back into space, the _Burning Phoenix_ 's docking bay start shooting out flames before it begins to fall downward a few feet before exploding in an even larger ball of fire, knocking several planet shards into other pieces. The gunship starts shaking violently from the shockwave that results, with the passengers nearly falling to their knees. In front of them, the 2 Covenant warships recall all of their fighters as they turn around and fly in the opposite direction. Once the last fighters have returned to their warships, the ships immediately enter slipspace.

After several minutes, the gunship flies into the docking bay of a Venator before finally settling down on the ground. The blast doors open up and the 2 clones step out, after-which they are greeted by several of their brothers.

Obi-Wan also walks into the docking bay, walking towards the duo. The clones take notice of their approaching general and begin standing aside to allow them entry. "Commander Wolffe, welcome back."

"Thank you, General." Wolffe responds, standing at attention.

Kenobi then looks around. "Where's Sergeant Comet?" He asks.

Boost stares forward for a few seconds before looking down. "He got blown up by a Brute Shot."

Kenobi's somewhat positive attitude becomes solemn. "Very well. Get some rest. Dismissed."

The clones instantly scatter and go off in their separate directions. Kenobi can hear the clone murmuring among each other, the most notable being bets on how angry ONI will be once they find out that a research facility was destroyed, all of the invaluable data on board with it.

Kenobi chuckles a little at the idea, before he turns around. His most trusted captains, Gregor, is walking towards him. Ever since his incident months ago involving a serious case of amnesia and after a battle over Sarrish, the clone been shown to have streaks of insanity. "Oh, hey, General Kenobi." Gregor says.

"Captain Gregor. What happened?" Kenobi asks, suspecting that something else had happened today.

"Oh, well, Jedi Master Yoda had just gotten in touch. The UNSC managed to pinpoint Palpatine's location to Dooku's home-planet. Just thought you should know."

Kenobi stares at his captain, shock on his face. "Very well. Take us to Corusant. We will rally with Anakin and his fleet if we have any chance of rescuing Palpatine from the Serenno system."

"Sir yes sir!" Gregor responds then proceeds to return to the bridge. Sighing a little at Gregor's antics, Kenobi follows behind, his thoughts distant.

His instincts are telling him that while it is a miracle that they found Palpatine, he can't help but feel that it was **too** easy to find him. Something's not right.

* * *

 _AN:_ I apologize for this rather bad chapter. I just had no inspiration what-so-ever on this arc anymore.

But don't worry, I have figured out how the rest of this story will progress and it is much better. At least, it is the best that I can come up with at this point. Also, since I will be starting college, please don't expect any more weekly updates for a long time.

Anyway, see you all next time when the conspiracy starts to be revealed and the rescue of Chancellor Palpatine begins.


	32. Chapter 32: The Rescue of Palpatine

**December 13** **th**

 **2583**

 **Outside The Black Dragon Night Club**

 **New Austin, United Republic of North America**

 **Earth**

 **18:30 UNSC time**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

'Shady. That's what my ex-wife called me the last time I saw her.'

This is the though that flashes through Richard Deckerson's mind as he stares ahead, towards the bar that had been swiftly re-built after the Republic had invaded his home-world. Despite the invasion happening a long while ago, the air around the city as it is under re-construction is sullen.

As if the atmosphere around him wasn't enough, it is raining hard on Richard. This storm hasn't passed in several days, and at this point, it is getting on the maverick cop's nerves. Once a construction vehicle passes down the road, Deckerson places a hand on his wide-brimmed hat and runs down the road, grimacing as the rain pelts his exposed arm until he makes it under the canopy that shields the main entrance to the club.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he takes off his hat and enters the club. The barrage of light does catch the former cop off-guard, but he manages to not raise his hands as he continues to walk in. The inside is a barrage of colors and noise as people are dancing on the checkered floor, spotlights casting a wide range of colors across the hall like a rainbow and the bar is almost packed to the brim. After the attack, it has almost become tradition for the residents to escape the trauma of what they've been through.

The officer then walks into the bar, past the crowds of people sitting around to talk or dancing and takes a seat at the bar. "Welcome back sir. Would you like the usual?" The bartender asks.

"Yeah. Thanks." Deckerson replies and looks around at the dancing people, trying to escape the fact that they are in the middle of yet another war. After a few minutes, the bartender walks back and sets down a martini glass filled with an amber beverage. Deckerson looks back and pulls out some money before setting it on the counter.

As he sips on the drink, he continues looking across the entire and club. At 1600 hours the previous day, the former cop had received a tip-off from one of his friends who lived in the lower districts of the city that Willy and Michael Gecko, notorious Insurrectionists who have numerous other crimes to their list of such evil that the ex-cop shivers just thinking about it, have somehow smuggled themselves to Earth. Whatever the twin brothers are looking for, it is something that is highly valuable. And Deckerson will not rest until he finds out they are up to.

"Hello." A woman says next to him. "I would like a shot of whiskey."

Curious, Deckerson leans to his right and gets a good look at the woman. She looks to be in her mid 30's, with black hair that stretches down to the top of her shoulder blades and bright green eyes. There was something about her that really made Deckerson feel different than he ever has in his life. Then he notices her crisp striped suit.

"Must be expensive." Deckerson says, gesturing to her suit. He decided to pass some time until something suspicious turned up that might lead him to his culprits.

The woman turns to look at the ex-officer and gets her first good look at him. She then looks down at her suit and nods. "Very. I'm Alice."

"Deckerson."

"What brings you to this place?"

"Oh. Well, I'm just looking for some friends." Deckerson then looks to their right and notices 2 men with hoodies covering their faces. They are talking with a slim woman who is sitting alone in the corner of the room. One of them raises a hand to shake the woman's hand, making the sleeves pull back. The ex-cop's eyes widen when he notices a tattoo with a skull on it and a rigid sword is clutched tightly in its mouth.

Quickly, the ex-officer pulls out a small paper picture from his black overcoat and looks at the picture of Michael Gecko. The build was exactly the same and he has the tattoo from his time as a former ODST. When Richard looks back up, he notices the 2 hooded brothers making their way towards Alice, reaching into their jeans for something.

Sensing that something is wrong, Alice looks up and notices the brothers. A split second after Richard notices the flash of metal of pistols, the ex-cop jumps to his feet. He then walks towards the brothers, who glare back. "Excuse me, can I help you?" He asks, trying to act like a casual drunk. One of the brothers growls in in frustration and shoves Deckerson to the side. As he falls to the ground, he pulls his pistol out of his jacket and fires.

His aim is true and the Insurrectionist that pushed him to the ground stiffens. After a few seconds, he falls forward and crashes to the ground, going limp.

Another tense moment of silence passes before the people start running around, screaming their voices off as they run in all directions. Alice, however, just sits at her table and stares at Deckerson with a terrified look on her face.

As the ex-cop stands back up and looks around for the other brother, a gunshot goes off in front of him, making a civilian fall to the ground dead before Michael lunges forward and stares at Deckerson, an almost savage glint in his black eyes. From out of the corners of the room, the dark-suited man come running out and begin opening fire on the Insurrectionist.

He lets out a growl as he ducks under the barrage of bullets and fires back. He manages to gun down the guard before Deckerson manages to lunge towards Michael while his back is still turned. The two crash to the ground again and Deckerson places 2 fingers on Michael's neck, trying to cut off his air supply and knock him out. The agents stop firing and watch with interest.

Michael growls in anger, grabbing the hand and pulling it off. Then in one fell swoop, he yanks the fingers upward. Deckerson lets out a shout of pain as his fingers immediately pull out of their sockets. Michael then swings his open fist around and punches the ex-cop in the face, knocking him back and the pistol flies into the air before crashing to the ground.

The Insurrectionist leaps to his feet, hood flying off his head to reveal his tanned skin and shaves black hair, and is about to beat the life out of Deckerson when another shot goes off. Michael Gecko seizes up, his eyes widening for a second as blood starts trickling down his chest.

He collapses forward, revealing Alice standing over the corpse and holding Deckerson's pistol. Her hands start trembling terribly and her knees start to give out. Deckerson jumps to his feet and runs through the now-abandoned bar to hold her up. "Does…it always feel so cold, killing someone like that?" The cop nods. "How do you live with that?"

"I just accept that it happens and put it behind me, believing that it was done for the right reasons." He responds. They then look outside when they hear the sounds of Warthogs coming towards them. After a few seconds, the Warthogs stop going and numerous UNSC soldiers run in, guns pointed up and shouting orders at each other. While the New Austin Police Department recovers, the UNSC has agreed to have a squad of marines patrolling the city. One of the marines notices Deckerson and lowers his assault rifle. "Clear."

They walk towards the duo. "Officer Deckerson? Could you show me ID?" The cop nods and pulls out a badge before showing it. "Good. You are free to go."

As the marines continue scouring the bar and walking into the back-rooms, Deckerson hauls Alice to the far side of the room. "What are you doing?" She asks, confusion in her voice.

"Who are you?" He asks sharply. "Right now, I need to know; those men we killed are infamous criminals. They wouldn't risk coming into the open to try and capture you?"

Alice looks at Deckerson, torn between telling him or not. In the end, she caves and lets out a sigh. "Alright. My name is Alice Lovell, and I am a science officer from Reach."

Deckerson stares at her in surprise before he lets go of her and looks back at the corpses as they are being hauled away. "I don't understand. Why would they risk everything just to capture you?" As he says the last sentence, a new marine's hand slips and Willy's corpse falls to the ground, a wallet falling out of his hoodie.

"Nice going, dipshit." The marine's partner responds. They pull the corpse back onto the stretcher and haul it away from the scene, leaving the wallet behind.

Curious, Deckerson stand up and walks towards the black leather wallet before picking it up and flipping it open. Inside are numerous photos of a house in the middle of a countryside, mountains in the background, and an ID is present in the card. It shows his face and labels his name is 'Bill Kamilia' and that he was an engineer from a certain planet.

"What is that?" Alice asks, walking towards him and looks over his shoulder at the ID. "Reach? That's where I was stationed to study surviving Forerunner structures and robotics. But why would they be after me?"

Deckerson looks out at the night sky, staring at the rain that still falls outside the silent bar. "I don't know. But right now, I believe that we should take the nearest transport to Reach. Something's about to go down. I have a contact at Interstellar Daily who would be more than willing to help us get there."

* * *

 **December 16th**

 **Docking Bay**

 **Galactic Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer**

 **Orbiting Geonosis**

 **13:31 UNSC time**

* * *

"Jedi!" A battle droid shouts before being cut in half by a blue lightsaber.

It took several days, but the Republic managed to rally a dozen Venators and sent them to the Raxus system to coordinate with the UNSC and Sangheili for the most important mission yet.

Rescuing Supreme Chancellor Palpatine while he is being transferred from Raxus to Dooku's home-world of Serenno.

Many hours were spent tracking down the convoy of 20 CIS warships, bouncing from system to system to try and not be found. But in the end, they found the small fleet and the battle had begun.

At first, the battle was dominated by the 3 sides coordinating the best they can against the Separatists. But as the battle dragged on, numerous Insurrection warships joined the battle and turned the tides of the battle. While the main ships continue firing on each other with side cannons, numerous fighters and transports managed to punch a hole through the fighters engaged in a dogfight and have started penetrating the various ships.

"Clear." Rex shouts, after firing several more blaster shots and downing a B2 battle droid.

Anakin looks around, staring at the smoking heaps of scraps that were once droids, mixed with the occasional corpse of a clone. Anakin nods and is about to get onto a comm line to contact Obi-Wan when another clone runs towards them. "General. A Pelican carrying an ODST squad is coming in."

"Open the blast doors and let them in." Anakin responds, then holds up his lightsaber as the clone runs to the left of the blast door and lowers the gates. It immediately slides open and an approaching Pelican flies through the blast shields and into the docking bay. A Seperatist Vulture droid that had been following the Pelican also flies towards the blast shields. "Close it!" Anakin shouts in panic, noticing the incoming droid too late.

The clone complies and the doors start sliding shut. As the doors slide shut, the Vulture droid flies through the red shields and the bottoms of the wings are clipped off. The droid screeches in pain as it rolls on the ground, somehow missing the Pelican by mere inches before crashing into the far wall and immediately stopping in place. The Vulture droid continues flailing around, trying to get back upright but fails. Then the hatch of the Pelican opens up and an ODST trooper runs out, pulling out twin lightsabers and activating the white blades as she leaps high into the docking bay and slashes downward, cutting the droid in half. The ODST then turns around to see the stunned looks on Anakin's and the clone's faces before de-activating her lightsabers, clipping them back onto her belt and pulling her helmet off.

"It's good to see you haven't changed a bit, Skyguy." Ahsoka Tano says, smirking slightly.

"Nice to see you too." Anakin responds, breaking out of his shock and also sheathing his lightsaber.

"So…since you specifically asked FLEETCOM for our help, I assume you have a plan?" Ahsoka asks, looking around and noticing the heaps of still-smoking scraps.

"Yes." Anakin responds, then gestures to his clones. "Our mission is to rescue the Chancellor and escort him back to Corusant while the Seppies are put down. To do that, we need to capture the capitol ship. Our intel says the Chancellor is being held on the bridge, and protected by Count Dooku and General Grevious. I am not sure how we can board the ship yet, but I will think of something."

"I already know how." Ahsoka says quickly, then picks up her helmet and activates the comm line. "Master Chief, do you read me?"

"Clear." The deep voice of the Spartan-II can be heard on the other side. "How can I be of assistance?"

"Can you please fire a Hyperion missile that the Separatist capitol ship's docking bay?" Ahsoka asks sweetly. Anakin just stares at her incredulously, along with the shell-shocked clones and even her fellow ODST squad members who had unloaded and overheard the conversation.

"Yes, Lieutenant. I will make sure the missile reaches its target." Chief replies, then the comm line goes out.

"Wow, and I thought Commander Cody got too serious sometimes." A clone soldier mutters under his breath.

Anakin just nods at the comment. "Alright. Once the missile strikes the ship, we take your Pelican and crash it into the docking bay before the emergency blast doors seal shut. That will be our only chance to get to the Chancellor before something bad happens to him. Dooku will pay for touching him." He mutters the last sentence, hate filled in his voice.

Fortunately, nobody hears it. Ahsoka then turns to her squad mates. "Sergeant, I want you to have our squad secure this docking bay in case any more clankers decide to try destroying this ship from the inside." Suddenly, the ship receives the brunt of laser fire, causing the whole ground beneath them to shake violently and knocking many people off-balance.

"We'll do what we can." The Sergeant responds then the black-armored troops fan out, spreading out in all directions.

"The rest of you." Ahsoka says, pointing to Anakin and the clones, "Are with me. Get on-board the Pelican double time."

"You heard her. Get moving, boys." Rex says, pointing to the half dozen clones remaining. They nod and march towards the open Pelican, getting seated in the vacant spots and checking over their blaster rifles. Rex gets himself seated, after-which Anakin and Ahoksa walk onboard, past the clones, and towards the cockpit.

"This will be just like old times." Anakin mutters as he walks up the short ladder and gets settled into the passenger seat.

"You know, Skyguy? Out of everyone I left behind when I joined the ODST, I missed Obi-Wan, and Rex the most." Ahsoka responds, settling herself in the pilots' seat and priming the Pelican for flight. While even Ahsoka can admit to herself that Sergeant Perry is better at flying larger transportation vehicles like this Pelican, she is decent enough to do the job.

"Hey. What about me?" Anakin asks indignantly as one of the clones that didn't board the ship open the blast shields again.

"In a strange way, I missed you too, Skyguy." Ahsoka replies then steers the Pelican out of the safety of the Republic hangar.

The battle is absolute chaos. The UNSC's Longswords along with the ARC-170s are engaged in a brutal dogfight with the vulture droids, with each side in a stalemate. The starships are turned on their sides, their side weapons racing across the black void of space and impacting their targets, either making the ships rock back and forth as the shields take the brunt of the attacks or causing said ships to explode in balls of fire.

However, the Jedi aren't focused on this. They are making their way towards the large Separatist dreadnought hanging in the middle of space, flanked by 2 Separatist frigates. "Ahsoka?" Anakin asks, looking uncertain. "How did Master Chief say he was going to direct a missile this far from the target?"

He is answered by a UNSC frigate turning on its side and a missile rockets out of the side, heading towards the dreadnought. As the missile passes in front of Anakin's very eyes, they widen in absolute shock when he sees a flash of familiar green armor on top of the missile. Ahsoka also stares in awe as well.

"How…how is this possible? How is a man who should be long in retirement still capable of doing these things?" Anakin mutters, bafflement being the only thing on his mind.

"I don't know. If what I heard is true, he is in his 70's right now. And I also heard that compared to the days when he fought against the Covenant, he has slowed down considerably." Ahsoka responds, pushing the Pelican's thrusters to maximum. The transport lurches forward at even faster speeds, hoping to intercept the dreadnought before it could turn on its side and ruin their chances of entering.

Master Chief continues riding the Hyperion missile towards the Separatist warship, glaring at the ship under his helmet. Letting out a sigh, he lets go of the missile and pushes himself up as the missile continues flying towards its target. Fortune is on the Chief's side, since the missile successfully impacts the dreadnought. It starts shaking violently as the last of the blast shields are depleted and punches a hole into the dreadnought's docking bay.

Taking it as his opportunity, Chief activates the jet pack on his back and he rockets forward, just as the blast doors start sliding shut.

"Ahsoka…" Anakin warns, his eyes wide with shock as the Pelican goes at the fastest speeds it can go, watching as the emergency blast doors start sliding shut.

"We'll make it!" Ahsoka says, nervousness in her voice and closing her eyes as she continues pushing on. As the blast doors are about to close, Ahsoka turns the Pelican onto its side, resulting in shouts of surprise and outrage from the clones in the back, the Pelican just barely manages to enter the docking bay.

The entire bay is in chaos. Four dozen battle droids of varying models are firing upon Master Chief, who is hiding behind a demolished droid transport and holding a blaster rifle in his hands. The Pelican straightens itself out and spins in a 360 motion, Anakin managing to fire the turrets on the transport.

The battle droids never stood a chance as they get torn to shreds by the large caliber bullets. After several seconds, the skirmish ends and the Pelican sets down on the ground. The hatch opens up and the clones run out, some of them holding their stomachs tightly. "Captain, please don't let Ahsoka fly that thing again." One of the troops mutters, trying his best to hold it in.

"Good work." Chief says, walking over to them and firing his blaster rifle off to the side, hitting a still-operating battle droid in the head and making it explode. "This ship is too large to traverse. We need to split up."

"Split up?" Ahsoka asks indignantly, stepping out of the Pelican with Anakin. "If there's anything I've learned with my squad, it's that you never split up."

"Well," Anakin says, catching their attention, "in this case, I think we can make an exception. Rex, take your men and take the main corridor. Chief, hold your position in the docking bay and wait for our signal."

"Yes General." Chief says and is about to walk away until he holds his side and nearly falls to his knees. Before the clones can move in to help, Chief pushes himself back onto the feet and grabs many blaster rifles and begins setting up.

"Ahsoka, you're with me. We're going to rescue the Chancellor. By any means necessary." Anakin says, then looks straight ahead at a closed blast door.

Ahsoka nods in understanding, but stares at Anakin strangely for a few seconds. Something wasn't right with him and for a brief second, she felt a tinge of darkness in him. Concerned and a little wary, Ahsoka follows Anakin as they walk towards the door. Before they can reach it, the door slides open and 2 droidekas roll out of the doorway and prepare to get a solid stance when they are knocked off balance by Master Chief firing a blaster shot at each droid. The two Jedi take advantage of the pause and charge forward, slashing their blades horizontally and cutting the droids in half. "Not bad." Anakin says, deactivating his lightsaber.

Ahsoka is about to respond when they freeze in place. "Dooku." Ahsoka says, recognizing the presence in the Force. As one, the 2 Jedi start running down the long corridors and past dozens more droids along the way. Eventually, they arrive at a doorway that slides apart and they take in a sharp breath.

In front of them is a massive chamber where a semicircular metal table with multiple chairs facing away from the Jedi. The room is lined with reinforced glass so they can watch the space battle unfold before them, Longswords zooming past the windows as they are being chased by Vultures. Several yards in front of them, strapped to his chair, is Sheev Palpatine. "Chancellor." Anakin says, relived, and jumps over the railing.

As Ahsoka does the same and they cautiously approach the Chancellor, who has a relieved look on his face, they freeze in place when they hear a familiar aged voice. "Master Skywalker, Padawan Tano. What a pleasure to see you again."

The duo turns around and look back up at the entryway they came from. Sure enough, Count Dooku is standing at the top of the platform, flanked by 2 MagnaGuards with already activated electrostaffs. "Well, I was not hoping to see you again, old man." Ahsoka says defiantly, activating her white blades. "And I am not a padawan. I am no longer a Jedi."

"Indeed." Dooku responds. He then jumps down to their level and activates his red lightsaber. "The Jedi betrayed you. So, you left the Republic behind and became a soldier for the UNSC. I must say, they have proven themselves worthy opponents. But not good enough to stop what has been set in motion."

He then charges towards Anakin, jumping over the table in the process, and the duo start dancing around each other, attacking and parrying at rapid speeds to try and gain a needed advantage. Ahsoka is about to assist Anakin but then both MagnaGuards jump into the air and Ahsoka has to lift both her lightsabers up in an attempt to not get cut to pieces. She then engages the MagnaGuards in a duel, blades spinning in all directions.

Slowly, Ahsoka starts backing up towards the table. She notices this and gets a crazy idea. As one of the MagnaGuards attempts to cut her head off, she jumps into the air and lands on the table. Using her brief pause from being on higher ground, Ahsoka slashes to the side and cuts the head off one of the MagnaGuards.

The droids' head starts sparking sporadically before it crashes to the ground. The ex-Jedi then leaps into the air to avoid being cut in half by the other MagnaGuard, then uses the Force to slam it against the table and giving Ahsoka enough time to cut the head off the droid.

Panting a little, Ahsoka looks back and sees Anakin and Dooku still dueling at their best, never letting up for a second. Feeling a little cocky after easily dispatching the MagnaGuards, Ahsoka decides to charge in and help Anakin.

Dooku senses Ahsoka approaching and smirks slightly. "Let's see how much she still means to you." He says, then uses the Force to push Anakin back a few feet. Dooku then whirls around and rapidly sends a wave of blue Sith Lightning at an unprepared Ahsoka.

The lightning arches over her body, and she feels so much pain that she can't even scream, then he throws her back, making her roll on the ground and go still, lightning still arching over her body. "No." Anakin mutters, staring at the scene in horror. "No. No!" Upon saying that last word, he lets out a growl of hatred and his eyes flash yellow for a brief second. He then looks at Dooku and charges forward, slashing at the Sith lord with new-found aggressiveness. Dooku can barely keep up, shocked at how much Anakin had been holding back. After a few more slashes, Anakin thrusts his lightsaber to the left and sends Dooku sprawling long enough to slash upward. Dooku barely contains a hiss of pain as his dominant hand is cut off, his lightsaber falling to the ground, and Anakin then uses his momentum to slash downwards and cuts Dooku's other hand off.

With that done, and Dooku on his knees in pain, Anakin lets out a sigh. He lifts up his other hand and uses the Force to pull Dooku's lightsaber into his hand, activating the blade and holding them in an X-shape at the Separatist founder's neck.

"Good, Anakin, good." Palpatine says from his seat, then his face changes to a frown. "Kill him." Both Anakin and Dooku stare at the Chancellor in utmost shock.

"Chancellor. We can bring Dooku to the Senate. They can bring him to justice for his crimes." Anakin responds, returning his gaze to Dooku.

"That won't happen." Palptaine responds, his voice starting to become raspier. "The Senate is powerless and corrupt. You know as much as I do that they can never agree on anything anymore. Please, for the sake of your family, kill him."

Without thinking for a second on how Palpatine knows Anakin's deepest secret, Anakin lets out a battle cry and slashes in different directions. The touching blades let out a crackling sound as they cut the head of Count Dooku off. His head rolls off to the side and his body collapses to the ground. "Well done, Anakin. Can you please get me out of these cuffs?"

Anakin nods then waves his hands. The cuffs click open and Palpatine stands up, massaging his wrists. "Thank you, Master Skywalker. Now, I suggest that we take Padawan Tano and escape this dreadful ship."

"I couldn't agree with you more, Chancellor." Anakin responds, throwing Dooku's lightsaber aside and hoisting the unconscious Togruta onto his back and starts running away from the corpses, Palpatine at his side. The duo continue running down the hallways, past numerous ray shields that try and imprison them before they reach the docking bay.

"Wha…?" Ahsoka mutters, her eyes fluttering open and finds herself staring at the ground. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Ahsoka." Anakin says, relief in his voice upon hearing that she is okay, then gently sets her feet on the ground. "Can you stand?"

Ahsoka pulls some weight off of Anakin and despite her legs shaking a little from being electrocuted, she feels pretty good. "Yes, General. Good enough to still fight."

As the trio make their way back to the docking bay, the clones take notice of this and start cheering loudly when they see the Supreme Chancellor alive and unharmed. "Thank you for risking your very lives for me." Palpatine says, before looking at Anakin. "Although I am uncertain on how I will leave this place."

Ahsoka looks around, before her eyes falls on the Pelican, the only transport that isn't damaged in some way. "Skyguy, you take the Chancellor and get out of here. I will give you the opening needed to leave."

"Why aren't you coming? You have more experience flying that bucket of bolts." Anakin responds, gesturing to the Pelican.

"Because the clanker Grevious is still here. I'm not leaving until Dooku and Grevious are safely in our custody."

Anakin nods, deciding not to mention that Dooku is already dead. "May the Force be with you." He shouts, then runs towards the edge of the docking bay. As Ahsoka works the control panel to activate the red energy shield before working on de-activating the emergency lockdown of the ship. All the while, another wave of battle droids charge into the docking bay while Master Chief and the clones try to hold off the surge of B2 battle droids. They notice the Pelican with its engines flaring to life and the droids point their arms at the transport, firing laser after laser at it. But Master Chief intervenes, pulling an assault rifle off the weapons rack on the other side of the Pelican before proceeding to tear the droids apart with armor-piercing rounds.

Several of the battle droids manage to shoot the Pelican, leaving large scorch marks on the side. "Yeah, motherfucker, yeah! Right up your bitch ass, you fuck!*" Ahsoka shouts, slamming a fist into the control panel.

The emergency blast shields start sliding open and the second they open wide enough, Anakin flies out of the docking bay and back into open space. The clones let out whoops of triumph before returning to the battle.

Ahsoka lets out a small smile, hoping that a Republic cruiser could pick up the Pelican and escort Palpatine and Anakin back to Corusant. But something's doesn't feel right. Ahsoka's not sure what, but something tells her that something terrible is about to happen.

Sure enough, the override she pulled on the blast doors are negated and they swing closed. Slowly, the battle droids stop firing and hold their arms up. The clones also stop firing, confused as to what's going on. "Very impressive of you." General Grevious's voice says over the loudspeakers in the docking bay, his voice echoing slightly. "Count Dooku is dead. The Separatists are on the verge of collapse. But unlike those cowards, I will not go down without a fight. I will show the whole galaxy that the UNSC are not who they show themselves as. All droids, tear them apart."

The second the loudspeakers turn off, the droids continue charging in and firing lasers in all directions. The clones are starting to get gunned down one by one, and even Rex has numerous close calls. Master Chief throws his empty assault rifle aside and pulls out a magnum pistol. He stands up from behind his cover and fires numerous rounds at the heads of the B2s. Several of them also fall to the ground, small holes in their heads, but they keep on coming. Letting out a low growl, Ahsoka holds out her hands and her new lightsabers fly into her hands. The white beams shoot out and she leaps into the air, slashing in all directions and using the Force to knock other droids off-balance.

In a matter of minutes, the battle is over and Ahsoka is panting slightly, almost knee-deep in smoking scraps. "Good job, Lieutenant." Rex says, holstering his blaster pistols.

"Thank you, Captain. Right now, I am concerned as to what system would be of such importance that it would undermine the UNSC's military power." Ahsoka say, going through the numerous systems under UNSC occupation. There are hundreds of systems, and the amount of systems of high importance to the UNSC are numerous as well.

"Reach." Chief replies, walking up to them and holding a blaster rifle he just picked up in his hands. "That is where we are going."

"How can you be sure?" Rex asks. "And how would the Seppies know where Reach is anyway?"

"It is the most fortified planet in the UNSC. FLEETCOM has suspected that the Separatists have known of Reach since their alliance with the Insurrection. It is where the largest battle will be fought and the fate of the war will hang in the balance. Get ready." Chief replies, checking the blaster rifle to check its ammo.

Ahsoka and the clones look at each other. "It actually makes sense. That clanker has always taken extreme risks in battle to win. This time, he's going to regret it."

"Then let's get going." Ahsoka says, lifting up her lightsabers and the small unit start their hunt for General Grevious.

* * *

 _AN:_ Wow, that came out longer than I was thinking and much later. Sorry about that.

Anyway, yup. The Battle of Reach is where the end of the story finally starts. Yay.

*Please give a shout-out as to who you think Ahsoka's quoting there. I'm just getting into that show and it's one of the funniest yet strangest shows I've seen in my life.

Anyway, see you next time as the battle starts and things go from bad to worse.


	33. Chapter 33: The Battle of Reach Part 1

**December 16** **th**

 **2583**

 **Docking Bay Zeta**

 **30 klicks from UNSCPF Department, Eposz**

 **Reach**

 **14:15 UNSC time**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

The colony transport sets down on the docking bay, and as the doors creak open, allowing the people who have taken Reach as their new home start steeping out and conversing with each other.

Among the crowd are the dark-haired Richard Deckerson, Alice Lovell, and two others. "Wow, look at those mountains. That would make an awesome scene in one of my movies." Jax Jonez says, running to the edge of the docking bay and looking out at the mountains stretching out as far as he can see.

His partner sighs. "Jax, we are not here to film one of your movies. We are here on business."

Deckerson looks out at the rolling landscapes, shaking his head at the mere idea that it was barren wastelands and ravaged by war decades before. "We're here. Let's get to work." Looking back and watching as the colonists are getting onto civilian transports to be moved to the big cities, the quartet sneak their way through the crowd, using them as cover from the squad of marines on the base. As they near the entrances of the transports, they swerve to the right and pass by the marines altogether.

Once they slip past the crowds, they make their way towards the parked and unoccupied Warthog. While the nearby marines are standing around and talking, Lovell runs towards the drivers' side of the Warthog while her companions jump in as well. Lovell gets herself settled and pulls the ignition. The Warthog charges to life and she drives forward, while the marines dodge to the side and stare at them with bewildered looks.

Lovell continues driving down the wilderness of Reach, driving on the edges of cliffs which overlook vast cities or military outposts. All the while, Jax is whooping with joy in the back and taking pictures of pretty much everything he can. This happens for over a half hour as they continue driving until they turn around another corner and arrive at a small farm. Once Lovell notices the farm, she takes her foot off the gas petal and lets the Warthog come to a stop a mere 10 feet from the nearest building.

"What is this place?" Deckerson asks once he gets out of the passengers' seat and places both his hands in his long jacket, looking around warily.

"It looks like an old farm that was built after a model used during the Great War." Dylan replies, also getting out. "It seems like no one has lived here in years." She then looks to the former cop and officer. "Tell me, what exactly brought us here?"

"We were attacked by both Gecko brothers a few days ago." Deckerson replies, still staring at the farm. "They had identification cards that allowed them to get around without being noticed. After I consulted an old friend and asked him to tell me what the fake identities went to, and he told me that they were farmers from this system. Something's here." With that, he pulls out his special magnum pistol and checks to see how much ammo he has.

"I see." Dylan answers, also looking at the farm with wariness. "Well, then we go in."

"Alright, we will split up to cover more ground. Officer, I would like it if you would accompany me while we investigate the main building. Ms. Andrews, Mr. Jonez, if you could investigate the courtyard.

"Nuh-uh." Jax says, looking at them. "Seriously? Splitting up in an abandoned shack? Are you trying to impersonate every horror movie ever?"

"We don't have time for this." Deckerson mumbles, holding his pistol in front of him as he walks toward the building in front of him, Alice close behind. They enter the main building and look around quickly. The only sound that can be heard is the occasional drip of water. "Clear." The duo continues walking through the building and searching for anything that can tie anything back to the Gecko brothers.

After nearly 10 minutes, they find nothing but rusting farming tools and the occasional footprints in the thick dust, which could be anyone. "There's something here; we just aren't looking in the right places." Alice mutters, then notices a door on their left, which is closed. Curious, she walks towards the door and tries to open it, but quickly realizes that the door is locked.

"Step back." Deckeron says, then walks towards the door and kicks with his left leg. The aging door crashes open in an instant, clanging loudly against the far wall. Holding up his pistol, Deckerson walks in and looks around for anything out of the ordinary.

"Wow." Alice mutters as she looks around. Around them are fresh crates filled with bullets, rations, medical supplies, and more. In front of them is a single window where a single sniper rifle is just lying there, waiting. Alice walks towards it and picks up the sniper rifle looking at it closely. "This is military grade. I wasn't aware that marines were stationed here."

"They weren't." Deckerson replies. Alice looks towards her partner and notices him standing next to a moving station with a computer on top that looks like a computer found on UNSC warships. "This is a monitoring system. It's hotwired to pick up UNSC transmissions and has the coding needed to decipher it. Along with Republic transmissions as far as Eridamus II. We are standing in the middle of an Insurrection fortress."

Alice looks around, still holding on to her sniper rifle. "I don't get it. If we are standing in the middle of an enemy fortress, where are the soldiers?"

"Don't know. But judging by how clean these crates are, they couldn't have departed the base more than a day ago." Just then, they hear a loud creaking behind them. Deckerson turns around and fires his magnum pistol into a metal closet hanging open ajar in the corner. A loud shout of pain emerges from inside and a darker-skinned man wearing a black jacket, jeans and a marine's helmet painted black falls to the ground. Deckerson walks towards the man and looks him over. He then pulls out another magnum pistol and notices a patch sewn onto the shoulders of the jacket; a symbol of a red fist.

"The Insurrection are here." Alice states, also noticing the patch. Suddenly, they hear sounds of guns clicking comes from in front of them and a half dozen men and women wearing the same attire as their dead comrade walk in, holding up black battle rifles. Then in walks another woman wearing a thick black chestplate over standard ODST armor, with her long blonde hair that have streaks of grey mixed in pulled back into a ponytail.

"Officer Richard Deckerson. It's nice to finally meet the man who is known throughout the Insurrection as Mr. Nighttime." Veronica Dare says, smiling a little.

Alice looks at her partner in shock, while the older man holds his pistol at her head. "I don't go by that name anymore."

"Really? Shame." Veronica says, looking at him with a disappointed look. "You see, I always respected you for your courage; you are one of the only police officers to manage to put down entire Insurrection cells alone. My men even consider you a one-man slaughterhouse."

"I'm glad to see you still see me as that man." Deckerson says, then pulls out his magnum and fires in all directions. The Insurrectionist soldiers are caught off-guard by the sudden attack, screaming in pain as they fall onto the ground. Veronica pulls out her own magnum pistol and fires back at him. Deckerson dodges to the side, slips a new clip of bullets into his magnum after discarding his old one, and they start circling each other, firing their weapons with the intent to kill.

All the while, Alice dodges behind a crate full of ammunition and fires at a nearby soldier. The close range of the sniper shot knocks the soldier into the far wall, blood splattering the far wall. Despite the best efforts of Veronica, the younger Richard manages to charge towards Veronica, only wincing when she manages to shoot him in the shoulder with her pistol, and the two fall out of the building and crash into the courtyard.

Deckerson just lays on the ground, staring up into the sky as a dozen more Insurrection soldiers surround him, pointing their battle rifles at his face. "Holy shit. It's Mr. Nighttime." One of the soldiers says, staring at the black-haired officer with horror.

They never got to say another word before Alice runs towards the window and starts firing her sniper rifle on the soldiers. They look up and start firing back, their shots missing when Alice backs into her cover.

'They must be new recruits. Most Insurrectionists aren't this bad.' Deckerson realizes before he spins onto his feet, ejecting his old clip and clicking in his last clip of ammunition before firing upon the soldiers. Three of them are immediately killed and the rest split their focus between their two enemies, but Deckerson dodges to the side, ducking behind a solid wall.

"Well, it's good to see you are still alive." Dylan says, her hands and feet bound by aging rope next to Jax.

Richard ignores her sarcastic remark and steps out from behind cover, firing several more shots. The last of the Insurrection soldiers fall to the ground, blood splattering the ground. "Woah, pyrotechnics." Jax says, glee in his voice. "Hey, do you mind if you could be in one of my movies? You could easily be the rugged action hero."

"No." Deckerson says, then grabs a combat knife from one of the deceased soldier's corpses and cuts the ropes binding Dylan and Jax.

"Thanks." Dylan says, rubbing her wrists before looking at the corpses in the aging courtyard. "Strange. There was nothing of value here and these soldiers were not nearly as well trained as some I've heard of."

"This is a rallying point." Deckerson says, the pieces coming together in his mind. "My best guess is that the Insurrection wants to attack a major research facility on Reach. These rookies were the advance team." He then hisses in pain and grips his bleeding shoulder wound.

"Hold on." Dylan says, walking towards Deckerson and pulling out a vial of biofoam and sticking it in the wound. Deckerson lets out another hiss of pain before the biofoam enters his body and seals the wound.

"Thanks. I didn't know you carried canisters of biofoam around."

"Well, since I'm a front-lines reporter, I need to bring some form of first aid. Unfortunately for Jax, he got shot in a bad place on his back."

"You mean…"

"That's right." Dylan replies quickly, not wanting to get into this conversation much longer.

Before any of them could figure out how to proceed with their investigation, they hear a loud booming echo above them. The trio run out of the rotting building to watch a damaged CIS warship, glowing orange from entering the atmosphere, fly directly above them and crash into the base of a cliff side coated in ice many klicks away. "What is going on now?" Deckerson asks, suspecting that a long day is ahead of him.

* * *

 **Babd Catha Ice Shelf**

 **Reach**

 **14:40 UNSC time**

* * *

Ahsoka Tano lets out a long groan as she sits up and looks around, noticing her comrades lying on the ground and small fires flickering here and there on the ground.

The last thing she remembers is beginning the search for the Separatist general Grevious. She remembers running down the winding corridors as the CIS warship tilted onto its side before crashing into solid ground, knocking her out once her face slapped the ground.

Immediately, she sits up and starts running towards the clones. "Ugh." Rex groans as he sits up and rubs his helmet. "I feel like a clacker punched me in the head."

"Glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humor, Captain." Ahsoka says, helping him to his feet.

"We better get moving." Chief says, walking towards them and has a battle rifle slung over his shoulder. "FLEETCOM has just alerted me that General Grevious has ordered all Separatist warships to land on Reach and secure the planet and reinforcements to arrive."

"Well, then we better find that bucket of bolts and end the Clone Wars while we can." Rex says, grabbing a nearby blaster rifle and picking it up. The clones who didn't get crushed by wreckage from Separatist transports also shakily get to their feet and grab their weapons.

"So, what do we do now?" Ahoksa asks, already having an idea on what to do but also wanting somebody else's opinion.

"We split up." Rex says. "Chief, you lead three clones to the nearest base. Gather as many men as we can; we will need all the help we can get. Ahsoka, and the rest of you sleepyheads, you're with me. I know this won't be easy, but we have been in the worst situations and come out tougher. Let's show the Separatists what we are made of and send them packing once and afor all."

The clones cheer in triumph from Rex's short speech, but they are interrupted when a deep voice cuts through the cheers. "Lavernius Tucker."

Everyone suddenly stops cheering, turning towards a hole in the docking bay the size of General Grevious. Standing in the middle of that hole is a man that could easily be described as intimidating, because of his black armor covered with red lines that stand out from his armor, a long beam rifle that is covered in a glowing blue light. His helmet has a blood red visor and a noticeable horn on top. "Who are you?" Rex asks, pointing his rifle at the intruder.

The man just stares at the clone, silent for several long moments. Before Rex can ask again, the man speaks. "I am no one. I am only someone to those I seek. And I seek to serve Lavernius Tucker."

"Wait, Tucker? As in that aqua-armored soldier who has a notorious reputation of being the galaxies' worst ladies' man?" Ahsoka asks, confusion in her voice.

"…Yes. And we will not see each other again until I meet Lavernius Tucker." With that, the man activates a jetpack on his back and jumps out of their sight.

"Well, that certainly wasn't creepy." One of the clones remarks as he lowers a blaster rifle.

"You know what? I've heard rumors that the Reds and Blues were placed on bases here on Reach in case they were needed." Ahsoka remarks, checking her battle rifle and clicking it.

"I will take point, recruiting them." Chief speaks up, then runs out of the hole the man left from. The clones under Chief's command also start running out, trying to keep pace with the aging Spartan.

* * *

 **Sword Base Outpost One**

 **Reach**

 **14:50 UNSC time**

* * *

"Ah! Die, shithead!" Dexter Grif shouts, firing his Grif Shot at a B1 battle droid, the explosion sending the screaming droid falling down to the grassy ground.

Directly in front of Grif are another four B1 droids who look up at the orange soldier and begin firing, until they were all run over by a passing Warthog, firing grenades from the gunner's mount. "Come on, Grif. You've got this." Richard Simmons shouts from the gunner's seat before driving off to the right and out of sight.

"What does it matter? Keep shooting!" Agent Washington screams back as he fires his battle rifle at the head of a B2 battle droid, saving the life of a red soldier.

All around them, at the two enormous bases situated to accommodate the entire Red and Blue armies, the Reds and Blues are firing weapons of all makes, ranging from UNSC sniper rifles and rocket launchers to Covenant needlers, at the approaching army of battle droids. Luckily, the simulation troopers had their MJOLNIR armor upgraded so as to accommodate a basic energy shield comparable to the Mark IV armor, so the blaster shots that do hit home merely glance off of their armor.

Wash continues firing his battle rifle, dismantling another B1 droid before his rifle clicks. "Damn it! I'm out of ammo!"

"So am I!" Agent Carolina shouts, ducking behind the wall and throwing her battle rifle aside.

"What do we do? We're doomed. Doomed!" One of the blue soldiers shouts before a blaster shot from a B2 droid sends him flying into the far wall. "Ow."

"We need a plan to stop these things from killing us." Wash shouts as he pulls out a frag grenade, pulls out a clip and throws it. Several more battle droids scream in pain.

"Wash, I got a plan." Colonel Sarge says over the comms line. "It's time we made our worst enemy work for us."

"Do I really want to know what you are up to?" Carolina asks, dread in her voice.

"No, you don't fucking want to!" Simmons shouts on the same line, making Carolina wince.

"[Please no.]" Lopez says on the same line, a little panic in his voice.

Then, above them, the metal that protects the command center on the second-floor smashes outward and a single Warthog drives out, heading straight for a single line of B1 droids and a droideka. "Suck it, Newton!" Sarge shouts as the Warthog crashes on the ground, smashing through the droideka and even more droids go down when the grenade launcher on the back begins firing upon them.

"Ha! Take that, you stupid sticks." A blue soldier shouts. Then, from in the distance, another wave of battle droids march towards the lone base, stomping on the scraps of their comrades or the occasional corpse of a simulation trooper.

"Uh-oh." Sarge says, then gets out of the Warthog and starts running for the base, accompanied by Simmons and Lopez before the droid's combined laser fire destroys the vehicle.

"Guess what? Global warming is fake news and the Holocaust never happened, you cockbites!" He adds before laughing hysterically. Unfortunately for him, a sniper droideka fires a blaster shot, which impacts the soldier whose personal deflector shields are drained. He gags from the shot in the chest before falling back.

"Oh my god, Bruce!" Another blue soldier shouts then tries running towards his comrade only to slip and fall. "Seriously? Did I step on that tube of super glue?"

Tucker laughs hysterically. "Great! We're all going to die here, surrounded by fucking idiots. This is just great."

The three Reds run up the ramp into the Forerunner-inspired facility and join the dozens of soldiers ducking behind cover, waiting for the end to come.

Suddenly, the ground rumbles beneath them and the sounds of a heavy gunshot goes off, causing many droids to shout in surprise followed by another series of gunshots.

"Oh my god! Sheila, you're alive!" Michael J. Caboose shouts from the second floor.

While most of the Red and Blue soldiers are confused by Caboose's statement, those who were stationed at Blood Gulch immediately stand up. In front of them is a field littered with battle droids of all makes along with a dozen Red and Blue soldier corpses, and rolling into the middle of the field is a Scorpion tank, the gunner's seat is being manned by a clone trooper in scraped-up armor and two more sitting on the front half of the tank. "Hey. Those assholes stole our tank!" A third Blue soldier shouts, staring at the tank incredulously.

Just then, the tank stops and all three clones jump out. The hatch opens up the Master Chief jumps out, and looks around. "Well, holy shit. It's the Master Chief." Wash says, a hint of awe in his voice.

"I wouldn't know." A red soldier pipes up, his voice extremely nasally. "I can't see anything. I forgot to put on my glasses."

"Shut up, Jermy." Another red soldier shouts. "I still haven't forgiven you for shooting me in the leg."

"Everyone, be quiet!" Carolina shouts. Both sides immediately stop talking, staring up at her in slight fear.

"Oh no. The Great Destroyer has returned. Repent. Repent!" Another soldier shouts.

Carolina ignores the outburst, and stands up before running out of the base, followed by the Reds and Blues. "Master Chief. It's good to see you, sir." Wash says once they reach the clones and the Spartan-II.

"How many are with you?" Chief asks.

"Well, we lost some troops, but over 50 of us are still alive."

"Good. I'll have the nearest base send some Warthogs to pick up the troops. We will need it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sarge asks, curiously.

"FLEETCOM just got in contact. Grevious's transmission had reached a CIS outpost. Our ONI agents have confirmed that the CIS and Insurrection are amassing for a large-scale attack."

"Well, then, looks like we have a new enemy to fight! On to victory!" Sarge shouts, only to receive groans of frustration.

* * *

 **Jedi Temple Docking Bay**

 **Jedi Temple**

 **Coruscant**

 **15:30 UNSC time**

* * *

Jedi Master Mace Windu stares out at the sun from the vast Jedi Temple. All around him, Jedi Starfighters are being loaded up so the members of the Jedi Order can be redeployed to countless star systems across the galaxy.

As the Jedi Master continues staring out, fellow Jedi Anakin Skywalker walks towards his superior. "Master Windu. I have something to tell you of utmost importance." Anakin says.

Windu turns around, only to see the solemn look on Anakin's face. "Please, continue, Master Skywalker."

"Master, I have come to believe that Chancellor Palpatine is Darth Sidious, the Sith we have sought out for years."

Windu's eyes widen in shock. "Are you sure?"

"I am certain. The Dark Side is strong with the Chancellor, but he has learned to conceal it. But my close proximity to the Chancellor through time allowed me to see through his disguise."

Windu just stares at the younger Jedi in front of him. "You have done well, Master Skywalker. I shall lead several Jedi Masters and place the Chancellor under arrest."

As Windu walks off, Anakin's eyes widen. "But Master Windu. Why can't I be of assistance?"

"No, Skywalker. You have become too close to the Chancellor. I want you to stay in the High Council chamber until this matter has been dealt with."

"But…"

"I will tolerate no buts Anakin. We don't have time." With that, Windu marches down the hallways in search of fellow Jedi Masters to carry out the task. "I can only hope that we can save the galaxy from whatever fate Palpatine has in mind."

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, things are about to get real.

The Battle of Reach is about to occur and the arrest of Palpatine occurs. That's right; the beginning of the end is officially underway. As for a sequel to this story, I am still toying with that. But right now, I am not going to bother with one since I have so many other ideas I could work on.

Anyway, see you all next time when the Battle of Reach officially starts.


	34. Chapter 34: The Battle of Reach Part 2

**December 16** **th**

 **2583**

 **30 Klicks west of Sword Base**

 **Babd Catha Ice Shelf**

 **Reach**

 **15:00 UNSC time**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

The B1 battle droid screams in pain as the magnum bullet collides with the droid's head, making the head explode.

Richard Deckerson looks around, holding his magnum pistol in hand, and looks around the vast fields of ice all around them. Behind him is Alice Lovell holding a sniper rifle, her once-clean business suit now torn up and full of bullet holes, Dylan Andrews and her cameraman, Jax Jonez. "According to my information, we should not be far from Sword Base." Dylan says, staring out at the vast field of ice.

"Aw, man. I can't wait to get there! This would make an awesome stage for a movie that I came up with. It's about an Eskimo who kills a man from another country and goes on the run after police officers start hunting him down!"

"Jax, please. This is serious; we need to get in contact with the UNSC as soon as we can. Also, I'm pretty sure that your idea has already been done before."

"Exactly! I'm thinking about calling it The Savage Innocents 2. In my movie, there will be more murder, more car chases, and bigger explosions. Boom!" Jax shouts, emphasizing the last part.

"Can you please keep your ideas to yourself?" Richard asks. While the former cop is normally patient, listening to a wannabe blockbuster director spouting out nonsense has begun to grate on his nerves. "For the record, I'm pretty sure the Savage Innocents never had any of those things to begin with."

"I don't know. Could you work on your idea more and send me the script sometime? If you really think it out, and maybe take it to a less offensive place, then could you send me the script sometime?" Alice asks, smiling kindly.

"Gladly." Jax says with giddiness. He then stops in place and looks to the right. "Hey guys. Did the UNSC send us an escort or something?"

"What are you talking about?" Richard asks, then looks in the same direction and his eyes widen in surprise. Running towards them are two MagnaGuards, their bo-staffs already crackling with electricity and glowing purple. Richard then tries to fire his magnum, only for it to click. "Oh shit."

"I got this." Alice says, then lifts up her sniper rifle and fires. While one of the MagnaGuards is hit in the shoulder, the female scientist falls onto her ass, not used to the rifle's recoil. As the two droids continue to charge towards the group, the sound of loud engines can be heard and they can only watch as a Scorpion tank comes barreling across the sheets of ice, kicking up small clouds of ice shards as it goes, before firing a round at the MagnaGuards.

One of them is hit dead-on and explodes, sending shrapnel in all directions and knocking the other MagnaGuard onto its back. The droid never stood a chance once the tank ran over the droid's body, crushing its head instantly.

The clones sitting on the side of the tank immediately jump off and look around in all directions. "Clear!" One of the clones shouts to his comrades. Before any of them could talk to the quartet of survivors, Jax lets out a scream, catching everyone's attention instantly.

"What are you doing?" Dylan asks incredulously.

"Eh. Just practicing my Wilhelm Scream. I don't want to have to go through lawsuits and all that garbage just so I can have the scream in my movies, so I'm going to practice my own Wilhelm Scream." Jax replies, not embarrassed in the slightest.

"You know what? …I take what I said back. I don't want your script just yet." Alice states, a little put-off by the eccentric nature of the wannabe blockbuster director.

"What the kriff are you doing all the way out here? You should be on shuttles, and leaving." Another clone pipes up, surprised at the civilian's presence.

"We need to get to Sword Base. There has been a breach in security; the Insurrection has hidden a unit of soldiers on Reach for who knows how long, no doubt relaying intel on UNSC movements to their allies. The Insurrection could be on their way as we speak." Richard replies, pulling a sharp piece of shrapnel out of his arm and throwing it aside.

"I see." Master Chief states, once he has jumped out of the Scorpion and joined the group. Just then, he taps the side of his helmet and walks off. "This is Sierra-117, over." After a long minute of intense silence, Chief only nods his head. "Copy. We will move to intercept." He then takes his hand off of his helmet. "FLEETCOM just gave their latest report. According to the planetary sensors, there are 200 CIS warships, in addition to another 100 Insurrection warships, approaching Reach."

"Three…300 warships?" One of the clones asks, a hint of fear in his voice. This was shaping up to be a battle even more intense than the Second Battle of Earth or any other battle in the Bitter Wars, as the UNSC is dubbing it.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Dylan states, "The orbital MAC cannons were designed to withstand a Covenant fleet. I think they should buy us enough time to do some real damage to them."

"Agreed." Chief states matter-of-factly. "I can also confirm that CIS General Grevious is here on this planet. We will need to find the general and finish this fight before it can begin."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Alice asks.

"Woohoo!" Jax shouts. "This is just like a scene from an action movie! This is awesome!"

"Not you." Richard says. "You are going to get onto the transport and you are leaving this planet until the battle is done."

"No way. I've stuck with you guys this long. Besides, I can be your super scout, the one who can get into places you can't. In fact, you can start calling me…Solid Snake." Jax says, grinning under his helmet.

While the clones look at each other, confused by Jax's references, while Dylan shakes her head in exasperation. Richard, however, stares at the camera-man with interest. "Jax, I must admit that you certainly have guts. Let's get moving."

"Yeah, let's do this!" Jax shouts. "Also, I don't want to go back to Earth. If I do, I will find myself being beating up by some IRS looney. That's because I have 100 billion dollars in student debt*."

* * *

 **Classified ONI Science Facility**

 **Camp Independence**

 **Fairchild Field**

 **15:30 UNSC time**

* * *

General Grevious lets out a growl of anger as he lifts up his left leg and grabs the face of a UNSC marine before contracting the protrusion at the bottom of his feet. The soldier screams in pain as blood starts dripping down from the soldier's face.

Hissing in triumph, Grevious throws the corpse to the side with ease, narrowly avoiding a pair of B2 battle droids that are walking around on patrol, walking over the corpses of more UNSC marines and tall strands of grass that make up the vast field.

Just minutes before, the CIS and Insurrection fleets had arrived hundreds of klicks from Reach's surface. While the Super MAC cannons are doing a serious number on the invading fleets, two CIS warships managed to push through the heavy defenses past a severely damaged Super MAC cannon and provide thousands of droids to reinforce the ground assault. "General Grevious." A droid's voice states. The General turns around to see a B1 droid with bright yellow stripes along its body, holding a long blaster rifle. "We managed to secure the base."

"Excellent work, Commander. Have our…guest of honor open the base to us." Grevious states, his reptilian eyes almost glowing with rage before he starts coughing violently.

"Yes, General." The commander droid before turning around to address its comrades. "Bring forth the prisoner!"

"Roger roger." One of the other droids nods before getting onto the private comm line and relaying the order. Seconds later, another pair of B2 droids walk towards the tall ONI building, jutting out of the ground like a spear reaching for the sky. Between the two droids is a semi-muscular man with short black hair that is now dyed blood red, but parted in opposite directions, a long face and crystal blue eyes and wearing a UNSC scientist's uniform under a white lab coat.

"You are about to make a serious mistake." Fred states, his tone level and nearly emotionless despite the situation he is in.

"I am not making any mistakes, human." Grevious says, walking over to Fred and coughing slightly. "You will open the doors of this facility or I will kill you."

Fred and Grevious stare each other down for several long moments before Fred smirks slightly. "I would be delighted." Fred then walks towards the silver tower and the sealed entryway. He lifts up his right hand and places it on the scanner on the far wall. After several seconds, the red screen suddenly turns green and the doors start sliding upward.

"Get in there!" One of the droids says, poking the tip of the blaster rifle into Fred's back.

But Fred doesn't walk in. "If you don't mind me asking." He asks. "What do you hope to gain from infiltrating an evacuated science department?"

"Because I was told by General Clayton that this station was built to reach the old titanium mines under Reach's surface. Now that the cowardly Dooku is dead, I shall do what he refused: Claim the battle suits stored in the mines for my purposes. With them, not even the Jedi or those accursed Spartans will be able to stop me when I burn their homes to the ground for their treachery." Grevious then starts laughing with insanity before coughing loudly.

"You'd better hope that your plan doesn't blow up in your face." Fred states, before being forced inside the station by the B1 and B2 droids. Grevious stares at the entryway for several long moments, preparing to go in, until he hears someone land behind him.

"Hello there." A familiar voice says. Grevious whirls around and notices Obi-Wan Kenobi standing directly in front of him, his lightsaber hilt at his side.

"General Kenobi. I have waited a long time for this moment. Crush him." Grevious says to his two MagnaGuard body guards. The two droids walk forward, their bo-staffs flickering with purple light at the tips. Kenobi then holds his left hand out before pulling back, ripping the still-primed bo-staffs out of their arms and sends them clattering several feet behind him. Then in quick succession, pulls his lightsaber into his other arm. The blue blade instantly shoots out and he slices the head off one MagnaGuard and he then slices downward, cutting into the chest of the other droid. In response to both droids falling to the ground, all of the battle droids point their weapons at the Jedi.

"Back away!" Grevious says to his forces, looking at them. They instantly lower their weapons. "Good. I will deal with General Kenobi myself." The droids instantly comply, walking into the entryway.

"That was a bad mistake, Grevious. And right now, you have no chance of escaping." Kenobi replies, getting into his battle stance and holding an extended arm to his opponent.

"Ah, but how foolish of you. You see, Count Dooku taught me your Jedi Arts." Grevious answers. "I will not run from a filthy Jedi like yourself." His then holds both arms out in opposite directions, allowing the arms to split in two. His four arms then reached to his belt, grabbed the lightsabers hanging on the red inside of his long cloak. "Time to die!" He shouts, getting into a fighting stance and slowly walking towards Kenobi, spinning his top two arms at rapid speeds. Kenobi backs up, watching as the lightsabers leave deep gashes in the grassy fields, kicking the charred ground up as the cybernetic droid walks forward slowly.

Eventually, Kenobi has enough of this and runs forward towards the General. At the last second, he leaps into the air and somersaults over the Separatist leader. Grevious notices the gesture, then stops his attack. He then whirls around and slashes the blue and green blades down upon the Jedi Master. Kenobi easily blocks the two blades with his single blade held over his head. Kenobi then lowers the blades to his right side before swinging it upward and slashing at Grevious.

The mechanical general deflects Kenobi's attack with another two blades and Grevious then tries slashing at Kenobi with the other blades. The Jedi notices this attack, and thrusts his other open hand forward. Grevious lets out a loud grunt as he recoils from the Force wave and Kenobi slashes his blade forward. Grevious notices the attack and uses one of his arms to knock the blade aside. But because Kenobi was so close to actually striking the General that even though Grevious managed to deflect the attack, the lightsaber still grazes Grevious's chest plate.

He lets out a screech of pain before grabbing Kenobi and lifting him into the air by the throat before throwing the Jedi aside. "Fool! I am a superior warrior. What makes you think that you will win?" Grevious asks.

Kenobi shakily gets onto his knees, wiping a thin stream of blood from his lips, and looks up with a smirk. "I wasn't planning on winning. I was planning on distracting now." Just then, a barrage of gunfire rings out around him and soldiers, both clone troopers and UNSC marines led by Ahsoka Tano without her ODST helmet, charge forward and blowing the battle droids away. The ring of battle droids turns to face the assailants, but they are mowed down one by one, especially when a flame trooper steps in front of the other soldiers and melts down the B1 droids with ease. "Face it, General. You have lost and this time, you have no way of escaping." He then lifts up his hands and uses the Force to send Grevious flying into the air dozens of feet.

Grevious growls in anger and lands on his four arms, before proceeding to crawl away from the massacre of his droid army, and toward his personal TSMEU-6 Wheel Bike that he rode in on. Angered by his failure, Grevious lurches his Wheel Bike forward, its wheels folding into the sides as it charges towards the soldiers' ranks. Grevious pulls out a blaster pistol embedded in the side of the Wheel Bike and fires it.

Several unlucky clones and marines get impacted by the blaster shots, and some of them are even crushed by the Wheel Bike as it zooms past them and across the grassy plains in an attempt to escape the ambush. "Blast!" Kenobi curses, then senses a nearby presence and smirks. "Lieutenant, secure this facility. I am going after the General and ending this." Before anybody could respond, Kenobi then starts running after Kenobi, reaching out through the Force towards a nearby forest.

Within seconds, a creature with bird-like feathers covering its whole body with a long neck leading up to a reptilian head starts running out at full speed. Leaping into the air, Kenobi lands on the creature's back and they take off after General Grevious. "Did your General just hitch a ride on a Moa?" One of the marines asks Ahsoka, dumbfounded.

The former padawan in question just smirks back. "There's a Jedi Master for you. Come, let's go scrap some more clankers!"

* * *

 **Classified ONI Science Facility, Sub-Level 3**

 **15:35 UNSC time**

* * *

Once the elevator doors swing open, the dozen B1 battle droids and B2 battle droids point their blasters forward, and start firing in different directions. "Stop firing!" The command droid shouts, holding up a hand.

The firing immediately ceases and the droids walk into the clean silver corridors, lights casting eerie shadows. "You, get in there." Another droid says, prodding Fred to walk in front of them. The android looks around the long corridors with an almost emotionless expression. "Take us to the storage facility."

Fred smiles slightly, fighting down a smirk. "Of course. Right this way." The android then leads the battle droids down the long winding corridors, through large doorways that open up after Fred uses the optic scanners on the panels.

As they walk down another corridor, they all stop in place upon the commander's held-up hand. "I must alert the General of our progress." He then picks up the comms device at its belt and activates it. However, instead of the cranky General on the other line, all the other line held was static. Before the Commander could speak, the sound of gunfire could be heard on the other line.

"It looks like your General is lost." Fred remarks before immediately moving into action. He pulls out a blaster rifle out of a nearby B1 battle droid's arm, ripping off both of the slender arms in the process, before firing the blaster rifle at a B2 droid and destroying it in a matter of seconds. Then, knowing that his moment of surprise is now gone, decides to start running down the corridors.

"Blast him!" The commander droid shouts, pointing a hand at the retreating android. The battle droids immediately follow the order, firing their blasters at the android who ducks into a door on the right. "Follow him. We will stay here and cut off his escape"

"Roger roger." Six of the droids declare in unison then start marching down the scorched corridors as fast as they can and into the room.

"Al right. You better surrender you. We have you surrounded." A B1 droid states as it walks into the circular chamber, past empty test tubes and pads filled with data on the experiments. As a 2nd B2 droid walks past a long table near another doorway, Fred leaps out and splashes an orange chemical trapped inside a test tube. The B2 screeches in mechanical pain as the acid melts through the flimsy droid armor and eats its way through the inner wiring before it collapses on the ground. Then stepping out from behind the cover, Fred fires his blaster rifle as quickly as he could. He destroys the last B2 with ease, along with another B1 droid on the far side of the small laboratory. The final droid sneaks around the worktables cluttered with lab utensils to try and ambush the android, but Fred manages to jump in the air, roundhouse kick the droid to the ground before blasting its face four times.

"I heard blast shots coming from this direction." The command droid says as it runs down the corridors as well.

Fred stares at the voices calmly before running towards the door that immediately swings open, leading to a small square room with prototype pilot suits lining the walls. Once Fred runs through the door, he punches the panel on the inside of the room. The doors swing closed immediately, even through the sounds of blaster shots being fired in his direction, some of the red blasts even managing to slip through before it seals completely.

The male android looks around, taking note of his surrounding, anything that he could use to escape his predicament. All that he could use were a few suits that are needed to pilot the Cyclops suits. Suddenly, an idea comes to Fred's mind, and for the first time in his life, feels a genuine smile forming on his face. "I have had enough of these primitive, pale versions of what they could be. Now, they shall feel the fires of Tartarus burn across their skin as I have." He states as he takes off his scientist overcoat and uniform and puts on the pilot suit. Once the suit is on, with the droids using laser cutters to cut the door open, Fred presses a button on the side of the wall and the doors slide open, revealing an empty mine that stretches out as far as the eye could see, its ceilings so high that even Fred had a difficult time seeing the top.

All around him are tons of aging mining equipment, possibly thousands pf crates, and standing on the right side of the circular chamber, are a dozen green hulking Cyclops battle suits. While all of them are also showing age, with the green paint starting to dull considerably, they look ready for action. Fred then runs towards the nearest Cyclops, with a pile driver on its left arm and the number 426 boldly printed in white on its left side, leaping from mining utensil to mining utensil until he reaches the front of his destination. "In a way, this is appropriate." Fred mutters, placing a hand on the yellow glass that makes up its head. "We are both relics of a past age, cast aside once our usefulness has ended. But I have seen the good in man, and together, we shall make sure that spark never dies." With a smile, he grips the bottom latch of the Cyclops and pulls upward with all his might. In the process, the glass dome goes flying off and smashes into the stone ground below. Fred jumps into the cockpit and begins situating himself with the controls.

Seconds later, the door blasts open and the battle droids storm in. "Surrender, android…" The command droid states before noticing Fred powering on the Cyclops armor, standing it up to its full height. The droids just stare up at the aging Cyclops for several long moments before the B2s begin firing upward while the B2s do the same. Fred directs the mech to pull itself out of its bindings and charges towards the droids. The droids can only stare up in horror as the mech lifts up a large foot and stomps it down heavily, demolishing the rest of the droids with ease.

"Surrender? Hell no. I am actually just getting started."

* * *

 **Galactic Republic Senate Building**

 **Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's Communications Chamber**

 **Coruscant**

 **15:50 UNSC time**

* * *

Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine stares at the circular comms device in the seperate wing of his vast office as the central device dies out, a deep frown on his face.

Count Dooku is dead and General Grevious has decided to attack one of the most heavily defended planets in the galaxy. Palpatine's certainty that the invasion, even with the Insurrection's support, will be Grevious's last mistake is growing by the second. It's time for the end game to commence. As he is deep in concentration, he notices a strong pulsing of the Light Side of the Force.

The Supreme Chancellor senses the disturbance and grimaces even further. He then forces a smile on his face as he spins his chair around to face four Jedi Masters. Each of them are of a different species, and Palpatine can't remember or care who most of the Masters are, with the exception of the one who is leading them.

"Chancellor Palpatine, for crimes against the Republic, you are under arrest." Mace Windu states, pulling out his hilt and activating the purple blade, with the other Jedi activating their green lightsabers.

The smile slips from Palpatine's face. "Do you have proof to support these claims?"

"We have discovered your secret transmissions to the late Count Dooku. The Senate shall decide your fate." Windu states calmly, maintaining a battle stance.

Palpatine's grim expression deepens much further. "It seems you do not understand what is happening around you. I am the Senate now."

"No, you are not." Windu replies, glaring at the Chancellor with hatred.

Seconds later, two lightsaber hilts shoot into Palpatine's hands. "Then it's treason." Palpatine then activates the red lightsabers and spins in the air before giving a tremendous slash.

One Jedi Master is struck down, screaming, in the first swing and cuts down a second Jedi Master with the second lightsaber. The third Master manages to block one of the lightsabers, but then receives a stab to the chest. The corpse falls backward and Palpatine holds out a hand to pull one of the lightsabers into his hand.

Windu leaps into action, cutting the blade in half and attempted to stab Palpatine. The Sith Lord blocks the attack with ease and together, they walk down the long corridors and slash at each other.

Eventually, they reach the main office, and Palpatine starts slashing wildly, doing everything he can to gain an edge.

Unfortunately, Windu is more than prepared for every attack, countering it with a perfect block. Both men grunt slightly as they press the attack even further. Windu gains an advantage, using a Force push to send Palpatine flying into the glass wall. The power behind the push is so great the entire glass wall shatters, large shards falling to the ground below along with the Sith Lord.

Slowly and cautiously, Windu walks towards the edge of the office to see if Palpatine fell before suddenly backing up when Palpatine suddenly leaps up, slashing forward with the intention of cutting Windu in half. Once Palpatine regains his footing, he blindly slashes at Windu.

The Jedi Master is more than prepared for the strike, slashing his lightsaber towards the other lightsaber with such power that Palpatine loses his other lightsaber, before Windu proceeds to point his lightsaber at Palpatine's throat. "Chancellor Palpatine, you are no longer under arrest. For the murder of hundreds of Jedi and throwing the galaxy into war, you are going to die."

Palpatine shakes his head, an insane grin spreading on his face. "No. You are going to die!" Palpatine shouts before sending waves upon waves of Force lightning at Windu. But the Jedi Master holds his lightsaber in front of him and concentrates on the Force for protection. The Sith Lightning hits the lightsaber and rebounds back at Palpatine. The aged Sith screams in absolute pain, his face aging by the second until he looks like a decrepit old man as he falls onto his back.

Just then, the doors slide open and Anakin Skywalker comes running in, shock on his face. "Master Windu, what are you doing?"

Windu looks up, a hint of anger on his face before it subsides. "Master Skywalker, we must kill the Chancellor. He is too dangerous to keep alive."

Palpatine looks at Anakin, and starts whimpering. "Anakin, help me."

Anakin then looks at Windu. "Master Windu, we can't execute the Chancellor. I have faith that the Senate will know what to do with him."

Windu stares at Anakin in disbelief before glaring at Palpatine. "I see that the Chancellor has corrupted you. I'm sorry, Anakin, but I must end this." Then he brings up his lightsaber, preparing to cut the Sith's head off.

"No!" Anakin shouts, activating his own lightsaber and slashing upward with the intention of disarming the older Master. But instead of doing that, he cuts Windu's hand off instead. Anakin can only stare in horror at his actions as Windu shouts in pain for a brief moment before Palpatine sneers and sends another wave of Force lightning at Windu.

"Unlimited Power!" Palpatine shouts, insanity practically dripping off his words as he charges more power into his assault. Windu is so shocked by Anakin's actions that he doesn't even scream or try fighting back, just stands there and receives the lightning before he falls out of the window and into the streets hundreds of feet below.

"What have I done?" Anakin asks, still horrified and starting to back towards the doors. But Palpatine is quicker, standing up to his full height and using the Force to seal the doors. "Anakin Skywalker, you have proven yourself worthy of earning the knowledge that will allow you to protect Padmé. Do you wish to accept my training to listen to my word?"

Seeing no other choice and the world around him darkening, he bows to Palpatine. "I am willing to accept your training, my master."

"Good. Good. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth… Vader. Before you begin your training, I have a task for you. Since you are the only Jedi unaware of the plot to overthrow the Senate and take control of the Republic, I leave it to you to wipe out the Jedi Order."

"It will be done, my Lord. But what of the clones? They will not turn on the traitors easily." Anakin states, looking back up to stare at the face of his new master.

"I have had a contingency planned in case this treachery should happen. I shall activate this plan and exterminate the traitors. Lead the 501st Legion and cleanse the Republic of the Jedi." Darth Sidious states, a small smile forming on his lips.

Vader simply nods, standing up and walking out of the Chancellor's office. Sidious just stares at the doorway and lets out a long cackle that would sends child down even the bravest man's spines.

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, shit's hitting the fan now. All roads are coming together, and the end is near.

I have to admit, this has been an interesting chapter to write, and I look forward to carrying it all the way to the end.

See you great readers next time when the Battle of Reach reaches its climax and the infamous Order 66 goes underway.


	35. Chapter 35: The Battle of Reach Part 3

**December 16** **th**

 **2583**

 **Main Galactic Republic Senate Building**

 **Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's Communication Center**

 **Coruscant**

 **15:54 UNSC time**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, secretly known as Darth Sidious, walks slowly into his private communications chamber. There is a small smile of triumph on his face as he strolls towards his communications table, where his ultimate plan shall come to a close.

It's time for the grand plan the Sith have orchestrated for decades to take its final step.

Sidious walks to the main communications chamber and pushes a red button on the side of his communications table. The image of a blue Chagrian appears with a surprised look on his face. "Mas Amedda, I want you to send a message to every Senator in the Republic. Tell them that I am convening a special session of the Senate in one rotation."

"It will be done, Chancellor." Mas replies, standing at attention and the transmission immediately cuts out. Sidious pushes the button once again, but instead of Mas Amedda, Clone Commander Cody appears on the comms line.

"Commander Cody, the time has come. Execute Order…66."

"It will be done, my lord." Cody replies before the transmission cuts once more and Palpatine proceeds to send the message to the other clone commanders across the galaxy.

* * *

 **Camp Independence**

 **Fairchild Field**

 **Reach**

 **15:55 UNSC time**

* * *

Commander Cody puts on his private communication device and looks to his comrades. They are looking at their commander for instruction, the orders clear to them.

Cody then turns around and looks at Ahsoka who is currently wading through the small battle droid army along with a platoon of marines. "All clones. Blast the ground beneath their feet and send them to death!" Cody shouts, before lifting up his blaster rifle designed to function like a sniper rifle. The clones do the same and begin blasting the ground that is next to the cliff.

"What the fuck?" One of the marines shouts before being hit in the thigh by one of the blaster shots and falls to the ground, cradling his wound as he shouts in agony.

Ahsoka looks back and her eyes dilate immensely once she sees what the clones, the very troops she's fought with for years, are doing. "No!" She shouts, but it's too late. The ground gives way to the constant blaster barrage and everyone falls off the edge of the cliff and towards the massive river below.

The droids let out shrieks of shock and fear before the troops crash into the deep river below. Several long moments pass as the clones look down at the river below. "Nothing, sir. No one could have survived that fall." One of the clones states.

Cody continues staring down at the river, deep in thought. "Perhaps. We need to re-unite with our comrades. On the double, men!" With that, the clones turn around and run back towards the speeders they arrived on.

After five seconds pass once the clones leave, Ahsoka pulls herself out of the water, gasping for air as she starts swimming towards the bank. Eventually, she manages to crawl onto the shore and starts taking deep breaths as she stares into the battle-torn skies of Reach. High above, UNSC warships are engaging Separatist and Insurrection forces and while the UNSC is managing to withstand the joint assault with help from the Republic cruisers, the enemies are managing to land their troops onto the planet.

Suddenly, a marine also manages to break the surface of the river and swims to the shore. "What the fuck?" He asks, pulling himself onto the shore and holding his damaged leg.

"Private, can you fight?" Ahoksa asks, then stretches her senses out through the Force. To her horror, all of the other marines died in the fall. The only good news is that the battle droids also survived the fall as well.

"I can, Sergeant." The marine replies, then looks back up at the cliff. "I don't understand. Why are we back to fighting each other?"

Ahsoka also looks up, before her eyes narrow. "I've fought with the clones, longer than I've been with the UNSC. They have never turned their backs on anyone like that before, and I sensed no malice from them before. Almost like they are being hypnotized… Private, get me a comm line. I need to speak with the nearest Admiral and get the clones experimented on. There has to be a reason why the clones betrayed us."

* * *

 **UNSC Meeting Hall**

 **Manassas**

 **Reach**

 **16:30 UNSC time**

* * *

"Well?" Lawrence Hood asks, staring at the ONI scientist. He, along with the highest Admirals of the UNSC, have been alerted to the clone's betrayal.

The ONI scientist looks at the holograms of the military officials as they sit on the top level of the UNSC headquarters overlooking the capitol of Reach. "I've never seen anything like it. We managed to contain 15 various clones before they could kill any of our troops, the most notable of them all being Captain Rex and Commander Wolffe. Upon inspecting their neural implants, we have discovered this." The scientist then pulls out a silver brief-case and pulls out a small glass tube that contains a series of wires that are connected to a single chip. "Every single clone has these chips in their brains. We are still uncertain as to how they exactly work or to shut them off, but it is fairly clear that they inhibit natural neural pathways and send artificial pathways throughout the body."

The UNSC officials have looks of immense confusion on their faces, while Admiral Jeremy Winter's eyes wide slightly. "Mind control. You're speaking of mind control."

"That's one way to describe it." The scientist deadpans.

"If that's true, what can we do about it?" Another Admiral asks, looking deeply concerned about these changes in events.

Lawrence looks thoughtful for a long period of time before replying. "All we can do is fight. Observe the clone's actions after their inhibitor chips are removed and report your findings."

"Yes, Fleet Admiral." The scientist says, then puts the tube back into the briefcase, and sits silently while the rest of the meeting occurs.

"What are our orders?" A female admiral asks, a grim expression on her face.

"We can't wait to hear the results from ONI. Have all civilians been safely evacuated, Admiral Bauer?" Lawrence asks.

"Affirmative. They were evacuated before the Separatist reinforcements arrived." The female Admiral replies curtly.

"Good. Prepare for an immediate evacuation of all ground forces. Have all ships be sent to space and head to the rendezvous point. All ship-board AIs will have the coordinates."

"Sir? Permission to speak freely?" Admiral Bauer asks, looking concerned.

"Granted."

"How bad is the situation?"

Suddenly, a massive explosion can be heard and the Admirals turn around to see the remains of a UNSC Strident-class frigate explode in a ball of fire and start to crash to the ground, smashing against a mountain and sending enormous boulders crashing down. "Grim. Admiral Winter is reporting that while the Republic is continuing their onslaught against the Separatists and the Insurrection, they have also back-stabbed our forces. Over five Super MAC cannons are destroyed along with all orbital stations with the exception of Reach Station Epsilon. Thankfully, Arbiter Thel 'Vadam has agreed to dispatch his forces to aid with our evacuation. They should be here soon. Godspeed for you all." With that, the transmissions cut out, leaving the scientist alone.

He turns around and stares out of the bullet-proof glass the barrage of blue laser fire and the returning bullets, with the occasional rocket flying through the chaos and exploding upon impact. "Why does it have to come to this?"

* * *

 **Landing Point Zeta**

 **Manassas**

 **Reach**

 **18:00 UNSC time**

* * *

"Move it, maggots!" Lieutenant Redfield shouts, waving his hands towards the open Pelican. The marines and leftover ODST troopers begin marching towards the dozens of docked Pelicans. Once one of the Pelicans was loaded up with red and blue sim troopers, the Pelican's hatch closed and the ship took off towards space, among many other Pelicans.

Warthogs are driving around in all directions, patrolling the abandoned streets of Manassas to make sure the opposing forces don't attack the city-turned-fortress. Agent Washington walks out of one of the many make-shift barracks, then looks to the sky to see multiple explosions. He shakes his head as he sees his friends, the entire Reds and Blues as well as Carolina, as they sit in two Warthogs that are being filled up and talking. Wash smiles slightly at seeing Carolina, but he squares his features under his helmet and he walks towards the lieutenant. "Lieutenant Redfield?" He asks, saluting.

The Lieutenant salutes back. "Agent. It is an honor to finally meet you." The two men then lower their hands. "I assume you have heard about the situation?"

"Indeed, I did, sir."

"Good. Then I want you to assist in pulling out more of our troops pinned down. You will lead Fireteam Charlie, which will be also composed of the so-called Blue team, to rescue a squad of marines pinned down 10 klicks from here."

"What about the other marines that are trapped out on the field?" Wash asks, his voice rising slightly to be heard over the carnage before they hear the sounds of an explosion. They look up to see three ARC-170s sweep in and shoot another one of the Pelicans, causing it to explode. Before the small squad could do any more damage, a series Swords of Sanghelios Banshees fly in and fire their plasma shots, making the Republic fighters explode. "Thank God they got here when they did, or there would be no hope for any of us."

"Thankfully, the rest of the marines that are still alive on this planet were on their way back to Manassas by the time they were ambushed. Red Team, led by... Sarge, unfortunately, will be Fireteam Bravo and investigate another distress beacon that was recently activated."

"How will we be able to avoid the dozens of Republic patrols that are outside the city?" Carolina asks, walking over to the talking duo, while another Pelican gets loaded up with troops and supplies before taking off.

"That is being arranged. We are sending out a dozen spy drones in a 50 klick-radius. That should confuse the Republic on our marine's location."

"That won't be enough." A familiar voice says. They all turn to see Obi-Wan Kenobi walking towards them, along with Captain Rex, Ahoksa, Officer Deckerson, and a tall Sangheili soldier in bright red armor and holding a deactivated plasma sword in his hand. "We will need to find Commander Cody and call off this attack. There is something not right about all this." Kenobi insists, looking deeply troubled.

"You think?" Redfield asks, exasperated. "Besides, where the hell have you been for the last few hours?"

"Dealing with General Grevious." Kenobi replies. "Wash can attest to how it was fought."

* * *

 **Fairchild Cliffside**

 **10 Klicks West of Camp Independence**

 **15:35 UNSC time**

* * *

Kenobi lets out a silent grunt as he dodges a red blaster shot from General Grevious as he continues riding through the grassy Cliffside of Reach. Kenobi suddenly gets an idea, causing him to smirk slightly then he lets out a battle cry. The Moa he is riding responds to the cry by starting to run faster than before. As Kenobi slowly approaches Grevious's Wheel Bike, he pulls out his lightsaber and activates it before holding it out to his left.

It took several minutes, but he had success. The lightsaber started to cut through the small spikes that line both halves of the Wheel Bike. Within seconds, the Wheel Bike starts shaking violently, no matter how much Grevious tries to regain control.

The standoff continues until they reach a sharp turn on the left, with a patch of cliff north of the turn where Grevious's personal transport is open and waiting, with a tactical droid waiting on them. However, the tactical droid notices the situation and tries to run back inside the transport. Seeing the approaching cliff, Obi-Wan pulls the Moa sideways to prevent it from running off the side of the cliff while Grevious leaps out of the Wheel Bike. The Bike, which has lost all traction, continues driving forward and crashes into the fleeing tactical droid and sends them both over the edge of the cliff.

Taking advantage of the momentary confusion, Obi-Wan leaps into the air while holding his lightsaber over his head. Grevious sees Kenobi falling down and activates his own four lightsabers and lifts them upward in defense. But Kenobi's blade slips thorough the defense and cuts off one of the droid general's hands, which falls to the ground. Grevious looks at the glowing stump, lets out a deep growl, then starts slashing up the ground with two lightsabers, leaving deep gashes in the ground, and slashes at Kenobi with the third. Kenobi gets himself into a battle stance and once Grevious gets close enough, he closes his eyes to keep himself from being distracted by the torn-up ground and slashes upward. He does not open his eyes, relying on the Force to guide his actions, but he is rewarded by the sound of metal being sliced through and Grevious letting out another shout of agony.

"Where are those Insurrection cowards?" Grevious shouts angrily before dropping both his last lightsabers, grabbing Kenobi with one of the robotic arms and lifting him up by his neck. Kenobi starts gagging slightly under the pain of being strangled, dropping his own lightsaber, and stares into the emotionless, reptilian eyes of Grevious. They both look to the right to see a big ball of fire explode high in the sky. "As you can see, you and your pathetic allies are… doomed."

Kenobi then looks down and barely notices the general's heart between two sand-colored chest plates. Kenobi manages a faint laugh. "Oh, I don't think so." Then he grabs both chest plates and pulls apart with all his might.

Grevious looks down in shock at what Kenobi did, then throws the Jedi to the right in disgust. Kenobi rolls along the ground, unable to stop his momentum until he falls off the side of the cliff. Fortunately, he able to grab the edge of the cliff and hang on for dear life. From his vantage point, Kenobi sees Grevious approaching him slowly while holding up his two lightsabers. Kenobi then notices his own lightsaber lying on the grassy field nearby.

Memories flash through Kenobi's mind, remembering the time he was in this very situation over a decade ago and how he got out of it again. Hopefully, history would repeat itself. But before Kenobi could act on his plan, he hears numerous gunshots that sound like automatic UNSC assault rifles. Grevious takes the shots to his heart and the numerous tubes of fluids that run throughout his body are punctured, and erupt into flames. The cyborg general starts screaming in pain louder, fire erupting from every part of his body, including his eyes. Within seconds, his chest explodes in a small ball of fire and the deceased general falls backward.

Shakily and in shock, Kenobi pulls himself off the edge and onto his feet. He then looks in the direction of where the shots were fired and was greeted by the sight of an army of soldiers wearing armor of varying colors though the colors are related to red and blue, along with others. In the front of the group, who also has a tank, is a certain man wearing bright blue armor and holding a smoking assault rifle in his hands. "…Tucker did it." He said, pointing his index finger behind him.

The aqua-armored soldier he is pointing at just sighs in exasperation. "Caboose? I fucking hate you."

* * *

 **Landing Point Zeta**

 **Manassas**

 **18:05 UNSC time**

* * *

"And that's how it happened." Wash finishes, smirking a little on the inside.

The Lieutenant just stands there, an expression that is between puzzlement, baffled, and downright dumbstruck. "Seriously? That's how Grevious was dealt with? Does Caboose usually shoot at people with their back turned?"

Wash shudders slightly. "You don't want to know half of the story. Let's just say he has lots of team-killing…"

"Is someone talking about me?" Caboose says, sneaking up on the group and speaking behind the Lieutenant. He lets out a yelp of surprise and falls forward.

"Where the hell did you come from?" He shouts.

Wash lets out a chuckle of amusement of the antics and looks at Kenobi. "Hey. I just wanted to say sorry for stabbing you in the leg a few months ago."

Kenobi nods, smiling slightly. "I got over it, and I understand. You were doing your job, and I was doing mine."

"I heard that." Wash replies, then returns to the members of Fireteam Charlie with Caboose at his side. "Hey, Doc. Are we loaded up?"

"Uh, yes. Although I am still not comfortable about you going out and fighting anyone." Doc replies, only for Omega to take over briefly. _"Your pacifism makes me want to barf. I live for the chance to spill blood on the ground. Wahahahaha!"_

"Wait, you have another person living in you?" Sister, who is sitting in the driver's seat, asks, "I had two guys inside me for six hours once."

"That sounds nice. Wait, what?" Doc asks, only for Omega to chime in. _"In the name of all things sacred, I have never met a more disgusting individual. What I wouldn't give to splatter you on the ground!"_ The passing marines and Sangheili soldiers running around glance briefly at the Blues as they have their exchanges.

"Enough!" Wash shouts, hoping to regain order before too much chaos breaks out. "All right. Blue Team, with me. Carolina, Doc, Donut, Lopez, make sure the evacuation goes smoothly."

"You got it. Officer Double O Donut is on the scene." Donut says in his usual finesse.

"[Good God, no! Fine.]" Lopez says, then the small squad go off to do various duties.

With that, the Freelancer runs to the side, gets himself seated in the passenger's seat and pulls out his battle rifle. "Alright, Sister… punch it."

"Woohoo!" Sister shouts as she handles the stick masterfully while she is driving the Warthog through the numerous streets of Manassas, accompanied by several more streams of Warthogs following directly behind, and they continue progressing towards the large wall surrounding the city.

"Simmons, fire a grenade!" Sarge shouts from the passenger's seat of the Red Team's Warthog.

"Yes, sir!" Simmons shouts back before aiming his turret gun and firing at the wall. It explodes in a ball of fire, and the Warthogs drive through the wreckage, coming up to stunned clone soldiers.

"Haha! You got Sarge'd!" Sarge shouts as the squads of clones get run over by the Warthogs or getting body parts blown up by Sarge's shotgun.

"Excellent one-liner, sir!" Simmons says, after firing a grenade shot at a rocket clone trooper and blowing him up.

"Oh, kiss my ass some other time, Simmons. We have some soldiers to save. Step on it, Grif." With that, the Warthogs all travel their separate directions, hoping to save the last of the UNSC's forces before things can get worse.

* * *

 _AN:_ Hey, everybody. I wanted to post this update today as a gift to you fantastic readers as my Christmas gift!

I admit, this is a bit of a filler chapter, but things in the next few chapters (the last ones) are going to be interesting.

See you all next time when the evacuation continues, and an old enemy returns to the battlefield.

Anyway, merry Christmas to you all, and to all a good day (or night)!


	36. Chapter 36: The Battle of Reach Part 4

**December 16** **th**

 **2583**

 **Reach Station Epsilon**

 **Orbiting Reach**

 **18:10 UNSC time**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

All around the station, UNSC marines run frantically down the narrow, grey corridors. Outside the massive UNSC station, the Super MAC cannons are firing every round they have at the shielded Separatist and Insurrection cruisers while they also fire upon the Swords of Sanghelios and Republic warships.

'The Galactic Republic…' Master Chief thinks to himself as he also runs down the halls, holding an assault rifle in his hands with Spartan-IV Fireteam Osiris following closely behind him. 'Their betrayal is unnatural. But if the UNSC is to survive, I will do what I must.' From outside the station, the group notices the flashes of blaster fire flying between the Separatist and Republic cruisers, with the Separatists being destroyed at a faster rate than the Republic cruisers. While they are battling, the Swords of Sanghelios ships fire upon the Insurrection fleet, a mash of black UNSC warships and even a handful of black cruisers that were once used by the Covenant. The Insurrection's capitol warship, _Staff of Charon_ , launches several Pelicans which swerve out of reach of the waves of fighters engaged in a dogfight and make their way to Station Epsilon.

Chief continues running down the corridors, towards the nearest docking bay entrance with the doors sealed. Marines are standing in front of door, pointing their weapons at the door. "Who's the commanding officer?" Spartan Locke asks, looking at each and every marine.

The marines look at each other before one of them lifts up his hand. "I am, sirs."

"Status report. Now."

"The Insurrection dogs have taken this docking bay. Several of them slipped through to the rest of the base before the spare blast shields could be lowered. We're hoping that we can ambush them when they cut down the door and blow them the fuck away. Permission to do so, Chief?" The Sergeant replies, looking at the Spartan-II.

Master chief just stares back, creeping out the Sergeant slightly since he can see his own reflection in his orange visor, before responding. "Proceed." He then walks towards an open weapons crate and grabs a Spartan Laser before pointing it at the blast door, as the edges start glowing with a bright orange light. The troops watch the door closely, hearing the sounds of battle and the screams of death in the nearby corridors but drowning it out and focusing on the door in front of them.

Within a minute, the door explodes and a thick cloud of smoke billows outward. "Fire!" Chief shouts, firing a whole clip of ammo from his assault rifle while the marines and the other Spartans do the same. On the other side of the smoke, several Insurrection soldiers scream in pain before the bodies collapse. A long moment passes before a massive barrage of bullets return fire and make the UNSC forces duck behind cover, but not before a marine receives the brunt of the bullets and falls backward, dead.

"Damn, they're securing turrets." The sergeant shouts. "What are your orders?"

"Spread out and provide covering fire." Locke says then turns to the taller Master Chief. "Chief, we will provide you with the cover necessary to take out their turrets. Go!" All at once, the UNSC marines follow the Spartan's orders firing into the smokescreen that is starting to lift from the scene. The Insurrection soldiers stop firing the turrets, dodging to the sides. Chief stands up from the barricade of crates, pulling out the Spartan Laser and priming it. The Insurrectionists grow a backbone and charge forward, only to notice the Spartan Laser. They start running away, but it is too late. The massive beam of red light shoots out of the tip and collides with the turrets that have been set up. The explosion that results sends shrapnel flying in all directions and impale themselves into the soldiers. While the relatively untrained soldiers roll on the ground, screaming in pain, the UNSC marines jump up from behind cover and gun down the enemy. "Clear the docking bay!" Locke shouts then pulls out his primary weapon and leads the group past the hastily-made barricades and the turrets as they make it towards the empty docking bay. It is an enormous docking bay, easily holding four Charon-class light warships.

"Clear." One of the marines says, looking in the far corner. Master Chief stares out into space, watching as another Super MAC cannon explodes from constant barrage by Insurrection and Separatist fire. Upon seeing all this, Chief finally comes to a decision that he should have realized many years ago.

"Board the warships, and get the crews to their posts. Once we have enough people on a ship, have them immediately take off." He says to the Sergeant as he passes by.

"Yes, sir! Marines, fall in!" He shouts, then marches towards the nearest Charon-class cruiser with the surviving squad of marines also boarding the ship.

"What are you thinking, Chief?" Locke asks as he runs down the Master Chief, a little suspicious of the senior Spartan's thoughts.

Chief looks at Locke. "Ensuring your escape." He then turns around and walks towards the nearest weapons crate being hauled by a marine and grabs a turret gun. "I'm going to defend this docking bay while you and your Fireteam rescue the other marines."

Locke stares at the aging Spartan, confused on where this is going. But after a pause, he snaps to attention. "Very well. Fireteam Osiris, with me!" Upon that command, he and the other Spartan-IVs charge back through the opening and aid the others.

Chief holds up the turret gun, and prepares himself for what could be the fight of his life.

* * *

 **50 klicks outside Manassas**

 **Reach**

 **18:15 UNSC time**

* * *

"Ha ha! Suck this. And this. Oh, you want some of this too?" Simmons shouts as he fires the grenade on the back of the Warthog at the small clone squads, sending them flying in different directions or making them blow up, while Grif continues to drive through the grassy fields towards the source of the nearest distress beacon. Eventually, they reach a vast clearing filled with the bodies of mutilated UNSC marines.

"Great Fourth of July! This place is as red as my armor; and they aren't even my enemies!" Sarge says, getting out of the passenger's seat once the Warthog comes to a stop.

"Ow…" Simmons says, also jumping out and looking around. "My hands hurt very badly."

"Maybe you should have taken your hands off the trigger sometime, dumbass." Grif says, deciding to just sit in the driver's seat and stare at his comrades.

"Huh. Why I do feel like I've heard that before?" Simmons asks, scratching the top of his helmet in curiosity.

"Can the pillow talk, ladies. We have a mission to perform." Sarge says as he walks into the clearing, not lowering his shotgun by an inch. He squats down lower and examines one of the corpses, with the top half of his body blown off. "Strange markings. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were… blown up."

"I'd say you're correct." A voice says behind them. Sarge and Simmons whirl around, but come face-to-face with an entire battalion of Insurrection and clone soldiers, with a squad of soldiers who are similarly colored to the Reds and Blues, with a cobalt-armored soldier standing in front and holding a sniper rifle.

"…Church?" Simmons asks, looking at the lead soldier with shock.

"I am no friend. I am the spawn of your worst nightmares." The man says before turning to the soldier who is wearing the exact same-colored armor as Sarge with the exception of a light blue visor. "Surge. Take out the Warthog."

"Aye, sir!" Surge says, then fires his railgun at the Warthog.

Grif yelps in shock before jumping out of the Warthog and narrowly avoiding getting blown up. "What the hell! You just killed a Puma, you dickhead."

The lead man stops in his tracks. "Biff…" He mutters before shaking his head and looking back up. "You really don't know what kind of shit-hole you're in, do you?"

"I dunno." Sarge replies, lifting up his shotgun. "But it looks like you've got us surrounded. I like those odds; might allow me to go down swinging."

The man laughs manically. "If that is your wish, so be it. On my command, fire at will." The troops lift up their rifles.

"Aw, come on. This is following literally every movie cliché ever." Simmons says as he lifts up his rifle, not sure who to shoot first.

Upon the third count, a massive explosion can be heard in the distance. "Oh, what the fuck is wrong now?" the man asks, turning around. Then he freezes in place upon seeing the massive green Cyclops Power armor charging towards them at full speed. "Gang way!" He then shouts before leaping to the side. The other former sim troopers also leap aside, while a handful of clones and Insurrectionists get blown aside by the repeated gunfire.

"Get on!" Fred shouts as he turns towards them.

"Damn it. I never got to try out my new one-liner." Sarge mutters, staring up at the Cyclops as it approaches. Simmons started stuttering in fear while Grif is not much better. But Fred ignores their protests and uses one of the arms to scoop up the trio of Reds and sets them down on his shoulder plates before turning around and running away.

"Kill the traitors!" The man shouts before firing his sniper rifle up at them, albeit poorly. The other soldiers recover from the ambush and begin firing upon the open-top mech as it starts running from the group at top speeds.

"Why in Sam Hill are we running from that loser? We could've taken them." Sarge protests as they continue running through the grassy fields back towards Manassas. "We had all the ammo needed to win."

"Uh, sir?" Grif deadpans. "It was all in the Warthog. And it blew up."

"Goddamnit! Our enemy is smarter than I gave them credit." Sarge shouts, shaking his shotgun in the air.

"Yes. While he may be labelled as unstable and downright psychotic, the leader of the ambush, former simulation trooper for Project Freelancer Mark Temple is someone you shouldn't underestimate." Fred says as he continues piloting the mech towards the vast walled city where numerous Insurrectionists and clones are charging through the opening in the wall, firing their weapons into the abandoned city.

The clones turn around and start barking orders at each other. As they do so, they are all slashed to pieces and once the cloaking devices are de-activated, reveal themselves to be a small squadron of Sangheili holding the newest model of energy swords.

The mech continues marching through the walls, past the numerous barricades set up the Sangheili and the UNSC who are all staring at the group as they pass by in awe.

Eventually, they reach the walled Manassas Spaceport, where the massive metal gates slide open to allow entry. It is after the mech passes through the gates does Fred lower the mech to the ground and de-activating it before hopping out of the pilot's seat and jumping to the ground, followed by the Reds.

"What's going? Bravo team, where's your Warthog?" Lieutenant Redfield asks, his face holding confusion and downright annoyance.

"It was all an ambush, sir. General Mark Temple and his forces massacred the platoon of marines and activated the distress beacons to spread our numbers out more." Fred says, a semi-solemn look on his face.

"Jesus. In that case, then we have no choice." He then turns to a nearby communications officer standing next to a make-shift communications center. "Officer, relay these orders on all UNSC cannels; all rescue teams are to be pulled back to Manassas immediately. Once all of them, especially Alpha team and Charlie team return, we will evacuate all remaining ground staff and get the hell out of here." He then looks to the nearby mountain range, as more explosions go off from the last firefights breaking out. "Before things can get any worse."

* * *

 **Base of Malachite Mountain**

 **18:20 UNSC time**

* * *

"Commander." A clone officer says, saluting the orange-striped clone, "The UNSC are in full retreat. Looks like the Insurrectionists aren't as pitiful in combat as you expected."

"What about the Jedi? Have they been dealt with?" Cody asks, not taking his eyes off the temporary hologram table, and watching as the clones continue to dismantle the last of the Separatist's battle droids and eliminate the last of the UNSC platoons that haven't made it to Manassas. Cody knows that this last stand will be brutal, but triumph would result in perhaps the greatest victory in the Grand Army of the Republic's history.

"No, sir! The traitor Kenobi is MIA while Ahsoka is confirmed dead. You would know that more than I would." The officer replies, his stance not wavering in the slightest.

Cody looks up at the officer, not surprised in the slightest. "I see." He replies thoughtfully, then looks down at the table. "Gather all of our ground forces and have them converge on the city. Have the remaining AT-TEs provide covering fire while the troops breach the city walls and take the city. Remember, I want no survivors, no prisoners, no mercy."

"Too bad. We could say the same about you." The clones whirl around, trying to find the source of the **very** familiar voice, until a clone lunges forward and wraps an arm around the clone commander's neck. The clones train their blasters on the single, who pulls off his helmet to reveal…

"Well, if it isn't the great traitor himself. It's good to see you, **Kenobi**." Cody says, glowering up at the bearded face of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Commander Cody, your madness ends now." The Jedi states, looking deeply concerned. "What happened to you, Cody? What happened to the commander I know?"

Cody stops struggling and glares up at Kenobi. "I know what you are, **Jedi**. You are a traitor to the Chancellor and the Republic; it is my duty, as a protector of the Republic and everything it stands for, to destroy you." He then punches Kenobi in the side and throws the Jedi to his left, breaking Kenobi's grip on the commander. "Stop." Cody says as the clones get ready to open fire on the Jedi. "I want the pleasure of spilling Kenobi's blood; the same bastard who lead countless numbers of our brothers to their demise."

The clones follow their commander's orders and lower their blaster rifles, but remain on guard. Cody then gets into a battle stance, not taking his eyes off of Kenobi for a second. The Jedi follows suite and the two begin circling each other, waiting to see who makes the first move. During the stalemate, Kenobi briefly uses the Force to enter the mind of Cody, to see if Kenobi's friend is left. But within seconds, Kenobi pulls out in recoil. He felt… absolutely nothing. The personality that made Cody unique is no more, only an emptiness that is comparable to a droid's mind, as well as an uncontrollable rage towards any and all Jedi.

With grim acceptance, Kenobi finally comes to the conclusion that nothing can save Cody from the programming implanted in his mind. Before either side can engage, a voice rings out across the small canyon. "Hold it." Kenobi's mouth drops open in shock when he hears the voice and he turns to it to see…

"Felix." Kenobi says, shock in his voice at seeing the orange-and-grey armored soldier pushing between the clones to enter the field.

"Well, hello again. You've been a real pain in the ass of my partners here." Felix says, standing there with a casual air about him.

"But… I saw you die. I saw you be shot in the back and vaporized by those Forerunner Sentinels." Kenobi says, confusion in his voice.

Felix just stares at Kenobi for a long moment before letting out a maniacal laugh that rings out around them. "Is that how my body double died? I must say, that is the most fucking pathetic way to die I have ever heard of. But still, I'm thankful that my superiors came up with the idea. I mean, I wouldn't want to die so easily."

"If you are done talking." Cody growls out, not taking his eyes off of his opponent, "then could you please step aside and let me kill this scum?"

"Sure. You know, I feel the exact same way you do about the Reds and Blues. Those delusional assholes are tougher than I thought. Oh! One last thing." Felix then pulls out two combat knives from his belt and holds them out. "This will make things even more fun. I want to see how good a Jedi really is." He then passes the knives to Cody. "Now…" He then steps off to the side. "Go!"

Cody and Kenobi then charge at each other, with Kenobi dodging each swipe by Cody's knives. This serves to anger the commander even further, and he slashes with even greater ferocity. "Fight me! If you're so noble, you will fight me like a man and not a coward." But as Cody gives another slash, Kenobi grabs the arm and throws him to the side. Using the momentum, Kenobi thrusts his right knee into the clone's stomach. Finally, he channels the Force into his fist and punches Cody's helmet. The impact sends the commander flying several feet away before crashing into the comms table and smashes face-first into the ground.

Shakily, Cody pushes himself back onto his face. His helmet, however, has cracks that start spreading wider and wider before the whole helmet completely shatters, with the shards falling to his feet. "Heh. Not bad, **General**. Show me more of what you can do." By now, Cody's voice has turned from his usual strictness to an obsessive insanity.

"I don't need to. I was just here to stall you." Kenobi states, not wanting to keep up the charade any longer.

The crowd remains silent for a long while as they process what they have just heard. "What the fuck did you…"

"Charge!" The group turns to the voices and sees a wave of UNSC marines charging towards them, firing their battle rifles and assault rifles.

"Yes! Charging! Screaming! Ahhh!" Caboose shouts as hew also charges with the marines, firing at the clones as well with the rest of the Blues are hanging back, not wanting to get shot by Caboose.

"…You." Felix says, pulling out a combat knife and throwing it at a marine. The knife imbeds itself into the marine's skull, killing him instantly. Agent Washington takes notice of the mercenary and his eyes widen behind his helmet.

"Felix. It's time we settled this." Wash says, then pulls out his own combat knife and charges at Felix. The mercenary takes notice of his old enemy and pulls the combat knife out of the dead marine's skull, flinging the blood that coated the blade into Wash's face. Wash quickly wipes the blood from his visor and manages to block the knife in time. "I thought you were dead."

"Yeah? I've been getting that a lot lately." Felix replies, but before they can continue their duel, another marine is shot in the head, but as he falls, his assault rifle goes off and hits a box full of Republic grenades.

The resulting explosion throws everyone off their feet and killing three clones who are the closest to the explosion. Wash then gets back up and notices masses of Republic gunships flying overhead, heading straight for Manassas. "Fall back! Fall back!" Wash shouts, rubbing his ears.

The marines and the Blues all get up, rubbing their ears slightly. After a few seconds, Kenobi also gives the command. Fortunately, they hear the order this time and start getting back onto the chain of Warthogs. "You…" Wash and Kenobi turn around to see Felix standing there, with a massive wildfire erupting behind him. Cody and the surviving clones are shakily getting back to their feet. "We still have a fight to finish."

"No, we don't. You're nothing but a shadow of my past." Wash says, turning around and walking towards the last Warthog.

As they are leaving, Kenobi could have sworn he heard the sim trooper known as Sister say, "Who was that? He looked hot."

Kenobi shakes his head, trying to get that disturbing image out of his head as Wash starts up the Warthog and drives down the winding grassy path, ignoring the roar of fury that came from Cody. "Well, your commander was certainly an asshole." Wash comments as he continues driving down the roads.

"He's always been a loyal soldier, but this…" Kenobi looks down, a thoughtful expression on his face. "This whole thing is just…" He then gasps, holding his chest as his breathing becomes erratic. Wash instantly takes notice of this and swerves the Warthog to the side before coming to a stop.

"Obi-Wan! You okay?" Wash asks, getting out of the Warthog and pulling Kenobi out of it. Kenobi continues gasping, his eyes glazed over before he regains control.

"By the Force." He mutters before grunting slightly.

"What the hell is going on? You look like Grif after he drunk cooking grease for the first time." Wash says, concern in his voice.

Kenobi looks to the stars, a horrified look on his face. "The Jedi… whoever's behind this plot is targeting the Jedi. I can feel their deaths across the stars." He then looks to the side and notices General Grevious's personal spacecraft on the edge of the cliff, still open and waiting with Gervious's corpse lying on the ground. Within a second, Kenobi realizes what he must do to unravel the mystery. "Go on ahead."

"Excuse me?"

"Go on ahead. Make it to Manassas and get out of here while there's still time. I'm taking Grevious's cruiser and returning to Coruscant. The Jedi there are in danger." Kenobi then stands up and looks at his new comrade. "Thank you for your help, but I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

Wash looks at Kenobi with uncertainty, but nods anyway. "Of course. May the Force be with you, General Kenobi." He then salutes crisply.

Kenobi nods in gratitude and runs towards the open space-cruiser, pulling the hatch closed with the Force while he works the controls. The ship's engines flare to life and it pulls off the ground, flying high into the sky before disappearing from view.

Wash watches as this all unfolds, then turns to hear a small group of speeders approaching quickly. "Great. I have to have the strangest life ever. Of all times." Wash mutters before he gets into the driver's seat and starts driving at the fastest speed the Warthog could possibly go.

* * *

 **Manassas Wall**

 **Manassas**

 **Reach**

 **19:10 UNSC time**

* * *

Agent Carolina lets out a battle cry as she gives a round-house kick to a clone trooper before giving another wide kick to another clone and punching a third in the face. All of the clones shout as they fall to the ground, unconscious. Carolina notices another group of clones approaching and pulls out a battle rifle before firing it. None of the shots miss their mark, and the clones fall to the ground.

"That was so awesome." One of the younger sergeants says, looking at her in awe. "You could be better than a Spartan."

Before Carolina could make a statement on that, they look to the sky to see Republic gunships flying towards them at break-neck speeds. "Take cover!" A Sangheili shouts, running towards a nearby building.

The allied forces run to cover underneath the ruined buildings as the gunships unload rockets and lasers at the ground below. Explosions rock the ground and make several buildings collapse upon themselves. Several unfortunate soldiers were caught under a particularly weak building as it collapses on them. Carolina groans as she pulls herself to her feet and brushes some dust off her armor.

"Everyone okay?" She asks. The marines and Sangheili who hid in the same building as her all get up and look around at the scorched and ravaged ground, riddled with the corpses of marines and clones alike. "This is a nightmare. When will all this violence end?" Suddenly, they hear the sound of approaching vehicles, prompting them to point their weapons at the entryway.

At first, nothing happens. Then, several clones start running in as if they are being chased off. Seconds later, a small squad of Warthogs charge through the opening in the wall made by the oh-so-brilliant Sarge, crushing the clones' bodies underneath like tomato cans. "Yeah! This is so hot!" Sister shouts from the gunner seat as the Warthogs pass by to the space-port.

Carolina face-palms. "I swear, she finds anything hot. All troops, fall back to the space-port on the double!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The marines chorus before they, along with the rest of the survivors, start getting up and following the Warthogs. Carolina takes up the flank, running behind them and watching as another wave of clones and Insurrectionists surge through the wall.

"Just how many of them are there?" Carolina asks as she fires her battle rifle. The Inusrrectionists receive the brunt of the fire, and fall backward. One such clone gets into a kneeling position, holding a rocket launcher in his hands before firing the rocket. Carolina stops running and leaps into the air, spinning. She grunts as she catches the rocket and uses the momentum to spin the rocket right back at the troops before letting it go.

"Holy kriff. Run!" The rocket clone shouts, running back towards the entrance, but the rocket explodes right behind him, sending the troops to the ground. Carolina lands on the ground and sighs as she stares out at the night sky, and the dark landscape. "David… where are you?" She then shakes her head, and follows behind the troops. All around her, fires are erupting on the ground and the two sides are engaging each other with everything they have, with each side taking extreme casualties. After Carolina finishes reloading, she turns on her thermal scanners in her helmet and looks in the buildings. Luckily, there are no enemy snipers that Carolina couldn't handle before the last of the troops reach the space-port. Carolina runs into the open gates and takes in the scene with pure horror. Despite the number of marines and Sangheili who are left on the ground, only two Pelicans are left open and waiting. "No…" She mutters, realizing what this means. But before she can say anything, her instincts cut in and she flexes backward to avoid a sniper rifle shot from her right.

She straightens herself out and looks in that direction. Standing there is a man who reminds her greatly of Church, except he has an ice-blue visor. "Hello, Carolina. It's been a long time."

Carolina looks up, her eyes wide. She recognizes the voice, but she doesn't recall who he is. "Who are you?"

He laughs a little, smugness radiating from him. "You really don't remember? Well, I can tell you that my name is Temple, and that your ignorance will only make my revenge sweeter." He throws a punch at her, but she blocks it. She then tries punching him in the face but he ducks to the side. Carolina then punches him in the face, then leaps backward and grabbing a blaster rifle off the ground and firing it at Temple.

He yelps at the sudden attack and dodges to his left, avoiding the blaster shots narrowly. He then fires his magnum pistol with a yellow pointer on the bottom at Carolina. She recoils slightly when she's hit by one of the bullets, but ducks under his line of fire and lunges forward. She tackles Temple and starts punching him in the face repeatedly. In response, Temple starts laughing and Carolina laughs. "What's so funny?" She growls out.

"Because you haven't changed at all since the day we met. Don't you remember, we met at the outpost you know as Desert Gulch." Memories suddenly flood Carolina's mind and she recoils even more than ever, and she starts shaking. "That's right. Why don't you finish the job that you started years ago and kill me?"

Carolina stares down at a truly broken man for several long seconds before making her choice. "No. I'm putting my past behind me for good. I don't need to kill you to prove that." She then punches Temple on the side of his head. The former simulation trooper's head falls back onto the concrete road, dazed. The female Freelancer pulls herself to her feet, tired of everything happening around her.

"Carolina?" She turns around and comes face-to-face with Washington, looking at her with shock. "Sorry I didn't come sooner; the road is too fucked up for my Warthog to drive on. Come on; let's just get out of here." Carolina nods and the two Freelancers run towards the last Pelican, already almost full of the last troops.

Once the Freelancers are on-board, Carolina shouts, "Get us out of here!"

"On the double." The pilot replies, then pulls the Pelican into the air before the ramp even has time to close, giving them a clear view of the Republic AT-TEs tearing down the city's powerful defenses. A Republic gunship swoops in to try and destroy the Pelican, but the pilot manages to launch a heat-seeking missile that collides with the ship, making it explode in a ball of fire.

Meanwhile, on the ground below, Mark Temple is standing in the middle of the empty space-port and staring through the pillars of black smoke into the sky. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Temple looks to his left to see Felix and Cody walking towards Temple, outrage on their faces. "We've got the last remnants of the UNSC dogs on-board that Pelican, and you didn't even try destroying it!" Felix shouts, anger practically dripping from his voice.

"That's the point." Temple says, then turns to his right. "Loco!"

"Uh… here. I'm right here." Then, from out of the smoke, emerges a soldier wearing the exact same armor style as Caboose, only he's got an ice-blue visor.

"Did you plant the tracking beacon on the last two Pelicans before they left?"

"Uh… oh, yes! Yes, I did."

Temple then looks to see the two baffled officers. "See? Now they can lead us to their precious evacuation point, where we will snuff them out forever. And let me tell, sweet revenge is not without it's just dessert."

Felix and Cody look at each other. "You… are going to need a psychiatrist sometime. You know that, right?" Felix asks.

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, that was something.

So yeah, Felix is back again. That was so awesome to write.

Anyway, see you all next time for the climatic finale of Halo: The Bitter Wars! I will try to really pull out a lot of stops so that way, I can end this story on a high note.


	37. Chapter 37: The Battle of Reach Part 5

**December 16th**

 **2583**

 **Onboard the bridge of UNSC frigate** _ **Veni**_ **, Reach Station Epsilon Docking Bay 16**

 **Orbiting Reach**

 **19:25 UNSC time**

* * *

 **3** **rd** **Person POV:**

* * *

"Madam President!"

The leader of the UEG turns around on her spot at the docking bay, tearing her solemn expression from watching the UNSC fleet is starting to crack under the combined pressure of having to fight three separate armies. Even with the Arbiter's help, they are beginning to lose ground quickly.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" Peterson asks the communications officer, her tone reflecting the look on her face.

"We have just intercepted a transmission that was being sent to members of the Galactic Senate. Chancellor Palpatine is calling for a special session of Congress to make some big announcement."

The President looks up at the communications officer, unbelieving what she just heard. In response, she lets out a sigh. "Okay. But that has no impact on what we need to do. Are the last transports on-board the station?"

"Yes, Madam. The surviving transports are all aboard and the station is locked down. Anyone who enters now is a confirmed enemy."

The President doesn't respond to the crewman's arrogant tone and turns around to look out at space. Somehow, there are still dozens of Super MAC cannons firing upon the Separatist fleet which is all but annihilated. Quite frankly, those cannons are the only thing standing between the UNSC and Sangheili, and utter defeat. She then directs her attention to space, where a UNSC frigate is pulling out of the station. The true beauty of this station is that not only is it protected by two Super MAC cannons but it is cloaked by an experimental cloaking device that prevents detection by thermal scanning, which was activated to prevent any more boarders from breaching the ship than those that already have.

As the UNSC personnel cheer in triumph when they see the frigate flying away from them, until a bright flash of white light collides with the ship. When the people are able to look again, they see the ship breaking apart and debris scattering across the open space. "Madam, we are picking up numerous small craft coming at us, 50 klicks from our location."

"We've been tracked." The communications officer mutters, his brown eyes wide and he starts hyperventilating. "There's no way we can fend off all these enemy ships now. What are we going to do?" He then shouts at a fellow officer, the panic steadily rising in his voice which rises an octave as well.

The other personnel start looking at each other and start asking panicked questions before a loud punching sound goes off. They stop talking and turn to the direction of the sharp noise and see the Master Chief standing at the hull of the ship, wearing his usual green MJOLNIR armor. Spartan-II Kelly-087 and Fireteam Osiris are also standing at his side, and they look ready for battle; even after Chief managed to hold off against the first wave of enemies. "You call yourselves warriors?" Spartan Jameson Locke asks, walking forward and looking at each member. "You think you deserve the honor of being members of the UNSC when all you do is stand around and hide like cowards? I say we bring the fight to those who stand against us. We need to show them that even when they have us beaten down, we will not give in. We must stand taller and fight until we have nothing left to lose. I don't know about you all, but I have been waiting years to beating that fucking smirk off of Commander Clayton's face. I don't feel like waiting any longer."

Silence reigns at the short speech. "Well, shit." A random officer in the back of the room says. "I'll fight for that." The rest of the crowd starts murmuring their ascent and looking to President Peterson for guidance.

"Thank you, Spartan Locke. Now, here's what we're going to do. We will prime all automated turrets lining the station and have them be sent to maximum burn. Chief, the station's experimental flare systems are inactive. If this station is to survive a direct assault from MAC rounds, we'll need them active. Take Spartan 087 with you."

"Consider it done." Chief replies, saluting crisply along with Kelly before dropping their hands to their sides.

"Fireteam Osiris, once the automated defenses come on-line, it will force the enemy fighters to dock in a certain space. It will be up to you to take charge of our remaining soldiers and keep them occupied."

"Consider it done, Madam." Locke replies, simply nodding.

"We need to hold their assault off on the port side. While our forces will keep the enemy busy, launch all frigates and destroyers on the starboard side and have them board the _Pillar of Winter_ , which will take us to the rendezvous point where Fleet Admiral Hood and the rest of the UNSC are waiting for us. Everyone understand?" The entire bridge is silent. "Good. Now get to it."

The bridge immediately explodes with action and the deck officers all gather at their respective stations and begin priming the ship for take-off. The Spartans and marines all leave the bridge, ready to carry out their duties.

The battle has begun once again.

* * *

 **Docking Bay 4**

 **Reach Station Epsilon**

 **Orbiting Reach**

 **19:40 UNSC time**

* * *

'Not even one second after stepping off the ship, and already someone is trying to kill me. I have to have the shittiest luck ever. Of all times.' Agent Washington deadpans mentally as he lifts up a battle rifle and fires it at a white-armored clone soldier.

Somehow, the Insurrection managed to slip a tracking device inside the Pelican that the passengers only found out about after Caboose found and accidentally dropped the make-shift device, causing it to smash into pieces. What made the device truly odd was that it was made from a tall Minions doll in blue overalls that one would find at a McDonald's Happy Meal.

Once that was discovered and the docking bay doors shut behind them, Wash's anxiety had only steadily increased, and judging by Carolina's posture and the way her hands twitch, she feels the same way. This tension was raised to new heights when he heard a massive drill come smashing through the docking bay walls and splits open in four separate directions, allowing dozens of Insurrectionists and rogue Galactic Republic clones to charge out and start blasting everything.

At first, the shock of being attacked by the Republic once again came as a surprise, but he squared away his shock and focused on keeping his friends safe. Once the Pelican had safely docked and its hatch opened, allowing the passengers off. "Running time." Caboose says as he follows the group, firing upon the possessed clones and Insurrection soldiers.

"Hey Caboose." Wash shouts over the sounds of guns blazing.

"Yes, he is talking to me right now." Caboose states flatly.

"Those clones want to help us. Help them."

"Okay, Washingtub." Caboose says, then lifts up Freckles and with help from the targeting systems, begins firing upon the clones. They start screaming in pain as they fall to the ground, dying almost as soon as they hit the ground.

"They got in the way of me helping them." Caboose states once everyone who rode on the Pelican manage to take cover behind some crates and begin firing back.

"I don't know what going on, but I sure don't like it." Captain Rex says as he blasts an Insurrection soldier in the chest with his twin blasters. While he is still hesitant to kill any clones, traitors or not, they are still brothers that he had fought along-side pretty much his whole life. Fortunately, the rest of his brothers who have been freed from the inhibiting chips have already been evacuated from the battle.

As the clones and Insurrectionists begin closing in, they suddenly hear several of their comrades cry out. They turn around to see Ahsoka Tano flying through the air, swinging her white lightsabers in all directions and cutting down soldiers left and right and slicing through armor like butter. The troops then divide their attention between the UNSC and their programmed orders. This keeps up for several long moments, with the clones fanning out around the Pelican with the hopes of ambushing the female ex-Jedi. Before they even get the chance, Spartan Locke enters the hangar along with the rest of Fireteam Osiris and a squad of UNSC marines. The lead Spartan pulls out his trusty handgun and fires it at the nearest clone behind Ahsoka. The shot punches through the clone's enhanced helmet with ease, causing a small tidal wave of blood to fly out the back of his head and splatter another clone's helmet.

The Spartan squad then spreads out in all directions firing their preferred weapons, which include a battle rifle, twin pistols, or in Spartan-IV veteran Edward Buck's case, a prototype Light Rifle that is a mixture of UNSC and Forerunner technology. The energy blasts make quick work of the clones, burning through their armor with ease and vaporizing the clones immediately while the Insurrectionists fall to the barrage of gunfire.

"Clear!" Ahsoka shouts after looking at the carnage that makes up the massive docking bay, with another large UNSC Stalwart-class frigate docked and nearly ready for flight.

"Good. Men, start setting up barricades and turrets. We will need to be able to take any and all troops they can throw at us." Locke states, but before anyone can begin acting on the orders, the alarm starts blaring loudly and a voice makes an announcement over the loudspeakers.

"Attention, attention. Enemy boarding craft have managed to slip past our turbo cannons and breached the Courtyard Sector Number One. Repeat, Courtyard Sector Number One has been breached. Send any troops you can to clear out the intruders immediately."

A brief wave of panic breaks out among the UNSC troops, but they manage to reign it in. "Just when I thought we had it too easy." Agent Carolina states dryly, keeping her battle rifle slung on her back but still in a fighting stance with Wash at her side.

Wash nods, but then looks around to look at Caboose, but then a horrible thought crosses his mind. "Where are Sarge and the others?"

"Sir, they are in the Courtyard Sector. The colonel was mumbling something about how to never under-estimate their devilish creativity." The rescued Private Dennis speaks up, squatting behind a metal ramp next to his best friend, Private Jerry.

Carolina lets out a groan. "Only Sarge will have the idea of charging into a warzone head-on." She mutters before running out of the docking bay to save the Red's and Blue's hides. Wash follows suite and the marine sergeant is about to stop them, but he is silenced by a piercing glare sent by Spartan Locke.

"Let them catch up. We have our objective in front of us." He says, then focuses as another wave of Insurrectionists and clones run out of the squid-shaped boarding craft.

"Copy that."

Meanwhile, Washington and Carolina continue to run down the long corridors, up a long flight of steps caked with blood with the occasional corpse lying sprawled out. When they reach the top, they notice a dozen clones firing their blaster shots upon something beyond the ex-Freelancers' sight.

Wash takes advantage of the distraction to pull a frag grenade off of his belt and rolls it to the clones' feet after pulling the pin out. The clones fail to notice the grenade until it's too late. The explosion kills half of the clones while leaving the rest rolling on the ground and screaming in pain from the shrapnel imbedded in their bodies. Wash and Carolina ignore them as they get their first good look at the artificial biome. What they witness is perhaps the most unexpected things ever.

While a dozen Reds and Blues are lying dead, another dozen are surrounding Simmons as he working at a make-shift command center. What is truly amazing is that they are actually working together to kill off the clones as they fire from behind any type of cover they can find. "Wash, find out what the hell Sarge is up to. I'll help make sure as many people survive today." Carolina says calmly then leaps into action towards a small batch of clones hiding behind a table that is holding numerous types of plants from different planets.

Wash takes advantage of the distraction and leaps down the multiple stories and through the crowd. One of the Blues yelps in alarm and shoots at Wash, but his experience allows him to dodge the gun-blast in time. "What the hell? I'm trying to help you." He shouts incredulously.

"That's it." Tucker says, then looks at the soldier. "If we make it out of here, you're going to be shining Caboose's boots."

"Aw." The soldier, obviously a woman, moan out.

"But I can be lenient and we can have I can show you how to have a good time when we're done. Bow chicka bow wow."

"I don't want to hear this." Wash states, then runs through the thick perimeter of Reds and Blues to the center. Sure enough, Simmons is typing away on a portable computer.

"Hello, Wash. Having a good time fighting some back-stabbing dirtbags?" Sarge asks, turning his attention from Simmons to the newly-arrived Freelancer.

"No, I want to know what the hell you're doing. We're about to leave." Wash demands.

"Well, we were about to head our way when we found these whippersnappers huddled around this here device. Simmons here believes he can give us an opening to escape." Sarge explains.

"Care to elaborate?" Wash asks, ducking under a blaster shot that rockets over their heads while Carolina is thrashing the clones left and right, with the help of the sim troopers. Even though their rather poor accuracy is also making Carolina's fight even harder.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I can barely handle the pressure as it is." Simmons replies, his voice cracking a little as he continues to type away at absurd speeds.

While Simmons is typing away, Grif continues firing his Grif Shot, blowing up another clone. He points his alien weapon at another clone who threw his Z-6 blaster cannon aside and is about to fire when the weapon clicks. "Uh…Sarge?" Grif doesn't get a chance to say much more before the clone lunges forward and tackles the orange sim trooper to the ground. The clone then proceeds to beat Grif's face up with his fists. He then stops and lifts his fist up again. "Aw, shit. No, no, no!" Grif shouts, upon realizing where the clone is aiming.

But before the clone has a chance to punch Grif in the nether regions, Carolina performs a dropkick to the clone's head, knocking the heavy trooper aside. "I had that." Grif says, before pulling himself to his feet.

"Sure, you did." Carolina replies sarcastically, then looks at Simmons, Sarge and Wash staring at something on their screen. "What is Sarge up to?"

"Ask Simmons. He's the one fully knows what's going on." Before anyone else can say anything, they see the clones stop firing upon the Red and Blue sim troopers and start rolling on the ground, holding their heads and screaming in pain.

"Holy shit. I did it!" Simmons shouts happily. The duo run over to the central terminal of the make-shift command center to find out what the Red nerd is cheering about. They look on the screen and notice a two-dimensional white skull laughing on the screen before disappearing.

"Dude." Grif says, looking to Simmons. "I told you viruses featuring a laughing skull tend to work the best."

"I know, right?"

"Alright, that's enough." Sarge says, clicking his shotgun. "If you're done celebrating, let's get out of here."

"Well, we'd better hurry." Wash states. "I just received a transmission from Commander Palmer. Master Chief and Spartan-087 managed to activate a defense mechanism to buy us enough time to board a last transport. On the opposite side of the station. And that more enemy troops are managing to land inside the station as we speak. All other ships are loaded up and on standby for something."

"Heh. Insurmountable odds? Outnumbered by who knows how much? Little to no chance of survival? Son, this is what we live for. Get to it, on the double!" Sarge shouts, before running to the front of the group, past the clones who are lying on the ground and whimpering in pain. The small army of simulation troopers follow behind, some of which accidentally stomp a clone's head. They make their way towards an abandoned armory, where two marine corpses are lying on the ground.

Judging by how the weapons are scattered about, the clones wanted to use the UNSC's weapons but decided against using them either because they couldn't figure out how to properly use them or considered using UNSC weaponry beneath them. But inside the expansive armory are three Warthogs. "Perfect." Tucker says. "Everyone, grab as many weapons as you can and get on-board. We're leaving."

"Shotgun." Grif shouts.

"Shotgun." Simmons says a split second later and realizes it. "Fuck." The duo then get into the main seats of a Warthog, with Wash jumping onto the back.

"Oh, yeah. I always wanted to ride a sword." Sister declares after getting into the driver's seat of another Warthog.

"Shit, yeah." A sim trooper wearing bright green armor says. "Wait, what?"

"Uh. Thank God Donut went ahead with the rest of the troops. He would have a spa day or some other shit with my sister." Grif mutters before revving up the Warthog and driving it out of the large door to the armory, with the other two transport vehicles loaded.

The trip continues on and they drive past large windows which give a good view of the outside. By now, most the UNSC's defenses have been beaten down, with all but two Super MAC cannons being obliterated and the scraps of hundreds of warships from both sides floating aimlessly in space. If there's any consolation for Agent Washington, it's the fact that the massive Separatist fleet is pretty much demolished and while only four Republic warships remain, they too look like they had taken a severe beating.

As he finally believes that there might be a chance to make it out of this fight alive, a door on their left blows up and a swarm of Republic clones come running out. Several of the sim troopers were startled by the sudden appearance, but they manage to maintain their course. That is, until one of the clones decides to lunge towards the lead Warthog, and manage to land on the floor of the gunner's station.

"Huh?" Wash asks, looking down at the clone, before he suddenly stands up and tries to punch Wash in the face. The Freelancer manages to not only dodge to the right of the coming fist, but also grab the arm. The clone then reaches to his belt and pulls out an vibro-blade.

"Die, traitor!" The clone shouts before thrusting the blade forward. The blade grazes the side of his armor, not chinking it but certainly leaving a scratch in it.

"You think you're the only one good with knives, are you?" Wash asks after he pushes the angry clone back, and quickly unsheathes his own blade.

"I am not just any clone. I am Barlex, Commander of the 212th Legion. Unlike that traitor Gregor, I have seen the truth and that your treachery must be stopped." With that, the duo begin slashing at each other violently, one fighting to gain the upper hand over the other. Wash then throws a punch at the experienced clone's head, making him stagger back.

"Cock knock!" A yellow sim trooper shouts, punching the commander in the private areas. Barlex moans in pain slightly and Wash slashes his knife upwards. The jagged combat knife leaves a deep gash in the clone's helmet.

"All hail the Supreme Chancellor." The clone commander says before falling backwards and out of the Warthog.

"Yeah! That's how it feels!" Grif shouts as he watches the commander rolling on the ground and stopping. "What?" He asks as Simmons looks at his friend oddly.

Before anyone can say anything, a new announcement blares over the loudspeakers. "Alert, alert. MAC round approaching the base at Sector 16-B. Brace for impact."

Sure enough, a bright beam of light approaches the ship before the ground suddenly shakes beneath them, making many sim troopers shout in shock and making one of them nearly fall out. Behind them, the corridor is torn apart by the MAC round where the commander fell out. As the vacuum of space begin sucking the Warthogs back, emergency doors suddenly drop and lock in place, artificial gravity taking over once more.

"Aw, why can't we fly anymore?" Caboose says sadly, looking behind them.

As they continue driving for another whole minute, they reach the entrance to Docking Bay 16. "Stop here." Carolina says, jumping out of the Warthog in the back of the chain. "Alright, everyone. Grab everything you can then make a break for it."

The sim troopers reluctantly follow the order, some of them muttering angrily, and begin making their way through the entryway protected by abandoned barricades and through the corridor too narrow for the Warthogs to go through. While they are running through the barricades, the station continues to shake violently under constant bombardment.

They reach the massive docking bay where a frigate is sitting there with one of the side hatches open. "Get the fuck in here!" Lieutenant Redfield shouts as he stands at the entrance. The army of sim troopers march in two lines, with Wash and Carolina leading each row. They manage to make it inside, and within seconds, the barely-open docking bay doors close.

"That…was…fucking…close." Grif says between pants and is on his knees while the alarms are blaring around them, and the only light being in the hangars are the emergency lights.

"We're not out of the woods yet." Redfield says as a marine is speaking to someone on a personal comms device. Suddenly, they hear several mechanisms keeping the ship down de-activating and feel the ship lifting up and out of the ground. While the entire sim trooper army goes their separate ways to talk with some other people or get some alone time or see the other sims, such as Sarge going over to a group of ODSTs sitting next to a docked Pelican and sharpening their weapons or Grif hugging his sister tightly.

Wash and Carolina, however, just sit down on a crate filled with weapons and watch all this from happening, sitting close to each other without realizing it.

After several long and tense minutes, the emergency lights are replaced by real lights and the alarms shut off. "It's done." Carolina says, a small smile forming on her face.

"It's about time. I'm getting too old for this sort of chaos." Wash agrees. The duo then look up and see the Madam President herself walking through the docking bay, flanked by marines and Lavernius Tucker. The Freelancers couldn't help but notice the streak of grey hair that is forming in her short brown hair.

"I thank you for helping our people escape the chaos." She says. "If you would like, you could come with me to visit Admiral Winter on the bridge."

"Bridge?" Wash asks, confused. "Wait, are we inside another ship?"

"That is correct, we are in the _Pillar of Winter_. Without this ship's advanced shielding, we wouldn't have stood a chance of escaping."

The walk goes by in silence, but Carolina can't stop herself from marveling at the sheer amount of weaponry and defenses that make up the massive docking bay holding a dozen frigates. Eventually, they reach the docking bay, where Master Chief, Commander Palmer, and Admiral Winter are standing in front of a holographic projection of the Arbiter with Junior at his side.

"Ah, look who it is." Winter says, with a small smile on his face. Everyone focuses on the new arrivals. Wash resisted the urge to wave at the group and say hello while the President walks forward.

"Arbiter, thank you for helping us escape Reach. We are in your debt now."

"Of course, Madam. Given how everything has changed again, you will be able to pay off the debt soon. What do you plan on doing now?"

She takes a deep breath and looks the Arbiter dead in the eyes. "Proceed to a designated rendezvous point. Until we have a chance to fully assess what the fuck happened, we will have no other real option."

Arbiter nods in agreement. "I understand. I will have my scouts…" Suddenly, the two holograms disappear.

"Lieutenant, what's going on?" Winter asks, turning towards the communications officer.

The Asian woman looks absolutely baffled and a little horrified. "Sir, our communications are being jammed."

"Impossible!" Palmer shouts, "Not unless they managed to track us through slipspace."

"Admiral!" Another officer shouts, "We are picking up multiple ships on our scanners."

Just as he finishes his report, many Republic Venators, with two ships standing out among the rest. They are a single Acclamator-class cruiser that looks severely damaged and a titanic grey ship with blue lights on the sides and two curved blades facing down, dwarfing all other ships.

"A Sojourner Dreadnought." Chief says, looking at the ship with interest. "A forerunner ship of that magnitude would have the power necessary to track us."

Winter stares at the ancient warship with a look that is between awed and fearful. "Activate our slipspace drives and get us out of here!" He shouts.

"We can't, Admiral." Fred the android says from his new post as Head of Navigation. "Our engines are being jammed. We can't enter slipspace."

"Admiral!" The Head of Communications shouts. "We are receiving a transmission from the Galactic Republic flagship."

"Put it through." Peterson says, stepping forward. "I will distract them long enough for you to get us out of this mess."

The Admiral nods and runs over to the other officers to start talking with them along with the ship-board AI Benedict, who is designed to look like George Washington in his prime. When he's out of sight, the holographic projection of the orange-armored clone appearing in the middle of the bridge glowing blue. "Ah, President. I was hoping to speak with you. Where's your Admiral?" Cody growls out; Wash figures he's pissed off due to the virus Simmons uploaded.

"Admiral Winter is in the john right now. He'd been trying to hold it in all day, and it smells." Peterson responds smoothly, not missing a beat. The Admiral looks up from one of the holograms and gives her a dumbfounded look before looking back at the screen.

"Fine; then tell your Admiral about my proposition. If your people wish to live a rotation longer, you will use one of your primitive vessels and come to my biggest ship alone. If you make any foul moves, I will order all my ships to destroy you and all your savage troops! You have 15 minutes to make your decision." The transmission cuts off, leaving the bridge in silence.

"Well? What have we got to work with?"

"We are surrounded by 20 Republic Venators, not including the capitol ship and Forerunner vessel. According to our scanners, the beacon that is preventing us from entering slipspace. The ship only has enough fuel for one more slipspace jump and maintain all deflector shields for exactly 20 minutes and 37 seconds." Benedict states, looking at its superior.

"So, we're essentially fucked." Carolina states.

"Not necessarily." Palmer says, looking at the screen showing the entire group of Republic ships. "We have shields to withstand a barrage from every ship around us for several minutes, long enough to send out enough fighters to wipe out that smug bastard's ship and escape when we're out of the ship's range."

"Impossible." Chief speaks up. "You are underestimating the Forerunners' technology. That ship needs to be destroyed."

"Let's say you're right, old timer." Palmer adds, causing Chief to glare at her, "But how in the holy mother of fuck are we going to blow it up? By the time we do destroy a Forerunner vessel, let alone a dreadnought, we will have been torn to shreds."

"Maybe we don't have to use brute force." Wash says, getting everyone's attention, "Cody is such an arrogant jackass that he is giving us a chance to send a Pelican to the target without having it blown up. Maybe have a commander take your place and launch a surprise attack on the vessel and have the shields be brought down. Then we can figure out what to do next."

The other people on the bridge look at each other. "Who would volunteer for a suicide mission like this?" Peterson asks.

The two Freelancers look at each other. "Oh, we know a few people."

* * *

 **Onboard Docking Bay 3**

 _ **Pillar of Winter**_

 **Uncharted Space**

 **20:30 UNSC time**

* * *

"Well, boys and girls, things are about to get intense." Sarge says, clicking his shotgun as he makes his way towards the open Pelican. A dozen ODST troops are walking behind the colonel, with Ahsoka Tano looking over her assault rifle.

"Sarge!" Simmons says, running towards the group. Grif does the same, even though he is panting slightly. "It was an honor to serve with you, sir."

"Kiss my ass some other time, Simmons." Sarge says, then looks at the other sim trooper. "Grif, while I have little faith in you, take care of yourself."

"Okay, Sarge." Grif says, looking slightly surprised before the duo return to the rest of soldiers who are organizing weaponry.

The ODST unit and Sarge walk to the Pelican and get themselves seated. Once the hatch closes up, the Pelican lifts up off the ground and flies out. While Sarge is looking over his trusty shotgun, the others are looking over their SMG rifles, magnums, or in Ahsoka's case, a Spartan Laser.

The silence reigns for several minutes until the pilot speaks to them over the loudspeaker. "Alright, Helljumpers, we are going in."

"Certainly brings me back to a simpler time." Ahsoka says, shouldering her Spartan Laser and lifting up her assault rifle.

"Yup, and it's time to let my favorite one-liner shine." Sarge says, then stands up. The hatch opens up and reveals a black-armored Insurrectionist without his helmet. The blue-haired and burly man looks up at them with a shocked look. "You just got Sarge-d, dirtbag!" Sarge then fires his shotgun at the man's face, blowing his head up. Blood splatters the ground while the body flies back. The dozen Insurrection soldiers standing out front look dumbfounded by the sudden appearance but are blown back by a Force Push sent by Ahsoka and fly back.

"Hello, asshats." A familiar voice says. They all turn towards the voice and watch as Felix walks through the numerous holograms that are flying around them, fully-armored and holding a knife in his hand. "I knew the UNSC would take a cowardly action, but even I never imagined they would be so fucking stupid as to send you here."

"Well, son, you'll have to deal with me." Sarge says, clicking his shotgun. "Go on ahead. He and I have a score to settle."

"Okay, Sarge." Ahsoka says, "Let's move!" She and the other ODSTs then run down the corridor to leave Sarge and Felix alone.

The squad of ODSTs are doing a great job of sticking close to each other and firing their weapons in controlled bursts. The Insurrectionists are firing upon the elevator they are standing on as it starts floating towards a platform on the opposite side of a pit they can't see the bottom of. "Cover me!" Ahsoka shouts, then lifts up her Spartan Laser and starts charging it up. The large group of soldiers notice the glowing red laser and try running away, but the red beam of light strikes their position and explodes, either killing them or sending them tumbling into the bottomless chasm below.

The ex-Jedi doesn't even wait for the platform to arrive before leaping into the air, performing a forward somersault while in the air, and pulling out her assault rifle and pointing it at another enemy soldier. Unfortunately, as she pulls the trigger, the gun clicks.

"Ha! Take this, bitch." Before he can try and kill her, he ends up getting a sticky grenade to the face. The grenade blows up, killing the soldier immediately. The other ODSTs then jump out and start running toward the doorway on the other side of the hallway. They start running down the long grey corridors until they reach a circular panel open and allowing a burly Insurrectionist out, this one holding flamethrowers in his hands. One of the ODSTs charges forward, running by the soldier as he starts shooting flames at the other UNSC troops that are firing upon him. Ahsoka then throws her assault rifle at the man and pulls out her lightsabers, activating the blades and running forward. The burly man stops firing and throws a punch at her. The female Togruta ducks under the hand and slashes upward. The flamethrower is cut in half and she uses the Force to pull the other flamethrower to her before cutting that in half as well. The man growls in anger and punches her in the face. Ahsoka rolls far away and back onto her feet, gently rubbing her face.

The first ODST then pulls out another grenade and throws it at the man. He catches it and throws it back at the ODST, exploding in mid-air. "No!" Ahsoka shouts. "Bean, distract him." The other ODST nods and charges forward, getting into a boxing match of sorts. They trade blow for blow, dodge for dodge, and manage to be on equal footing. That is until one of the others decides to pull out a magnum and fire it, killing the enemy immediately.

Bean looks at her incredulously. "What? We don't have time for you to show off your muscles."

He doesn't answer, but they all run towards the elevator where the ODST is lying on the ground and bleeding. "Perry!" Ahsoka shouts, running to one of her closest friends and kneeling down next to him. She ignores the elevator glowing slightly and starts ascending at alarming rates. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you're okay."

"Don't bother, Ahsoka." Perry says, looking up at her. "My time has come. Besides, this moment answers a question we ask ourselves our whole lives: how long do we have to do anything in life? Ahsoka, make sure you are damn sure this is the life you want to live." With that, Perry's head falls back and smacks against the ground.

"Ah!" Ahsoka shouts, smashing her fists into the ground in anger. Despite her anger, she manages to take slow and deep breaths. "I don't care if I die today. I will avenge his death."

The elevator arrives at its destination, which is the bridge of the ship. The deck officers all point their weapons at the ODSTs.

"Don't make a move, assholes. We've got you surrounded." Commander Mark Temple says, standing with the Blues and Reds on either side of him and pointing their weapons at the ODSTs.

"You think you can just waltz onto my ship and do what you please?" A balding man asks, stepping past the rogue sim troopers with an angry look on his face.

"That was the idea." Bean states, cracking his knuckles.

"You are a near-sighted lot, aren't you?" The man says, then walks towards a series of holograms of Forerunner lettering. "You think you can really make a difference in anything, when really, you're prolonging the inevitable. Have a look for yourself." He waves his hand, which is holding a steaming mug of coffee at the images, at the images. Suddenly, they re-arrange themselves and form a screen on which images are playing out.

The ODSTs watch as the _Pillar of Winter_ is being repeatedly hammered by the large ambush while trying to push forward. "As you can see, they will eventually fall." The man says. "Ah, but where are my manners? My name is Malcom Hargrove, and I want to tell you that this doesn't have to be this way. We want the President, and if you could convince her to turn herself over, then I would feel obliged to spare the lives of the crew."

"Here's what I say to that." Ahsoka says, holding out her hands. Most of the Blues and Reds fly back along with the other deck officers, but Temple manages to get back to his feet and fires several sniper shots at the Jedi. Unfortunately, Ahsoka has been training herself in the Force so she can see the bullets flying at her with greater clarity, giving her the ability to dodge the shots.

"Fuck!" Temple shouts, before shooting again. "Buckey, have you been screwing with my sniper rifle again?"

"Come on, Boss." Buckey, says, "My new girlfriend told me that sniper rifles are the new hot thing, better than swords."

"Enough of this!" Surge says, lifting up his railgun. "Prepare to die, slimeballs." He then charges it up while Ahsoka lifts up her Spartan Laser and starts charging it as well. Once they are ready, the two guns' respective shots collide with each other in mid-air, resulting in a light-ish red explosion. Surge gets slammed into a built-in communications table, burn scars evident on his cherry red armor, and goes unconscious within seconds.

"For Perry!" Sergeant Parker shouts as Ahsoka throws aside her Spartan Laser, now out of juice, and joins in the brawl.

The ex-Jedi then spots Temple hiding behind a pillar and aiming at her with his sniper rifle. He makes the shot and Ahsoka dodges to the side, though fails in preventing a rather deep graze of her armor. She growls in frustration and Force Pushes Temple into the wall behind him. The impact knocks the rogue sim trooper out cold. She then feels a warning in the Force and barely dodges a shot from a magnum pistol, which came from Malcolm Hargrove.

"You have made a tremendous mistake coming here, one you will pay for with your life." He says before firing more rounds. Ahsoka dodges the blasts and slashes her lightsabers upward, slicing his magnum in half and holds the lightsabers in an X-shape at Hargrove's neck. "Really? You would use such cowardly methods to kill me? I thought Jedi never killed anyone out of spite."

Ahsoka looks upon the elderly man with disgust, but stops herself from cutting his head off. "Yes, but you missed one critical detail." She says, de-activating her lightsabers. A split second later, she slams the butt of one of her lightsabers into Hargrove's head, knocking him out completely. "I am not a Jedi anymore." She then turns around to see that the brawl is mostly over, with Bean throwing Gene Simmons aside, making the maroon soldier drop his combat knives and punching him in the face. "Bridge is secure." Sergeant Parker says, then looks at Temple. "What are we going to do with him?"

Ahsoka then looks over the troops, who are looking at her balefully. "We will prove that we are better than them. We take them all with us."

"Right away, Commander." Parker says, then they start gathering up the Blues and Reds, along with Hargrove, but before Ahsoka can help, she notices her wrist communicator beeping. She pushes the Republic-made communicator and hears the voice of the legendary war hero, Master Chief.

"Commander Tano. There has been a change in plan. Get on the Pelican and evacuate the ship in 15. Chief out." With that, the communication is cut off.

"Alright, people. We are now under a timetable. Get them all up and let's get out of here." Ahsoka says, using the Force to lift up the entire group of prisoners while leaving their weapons behind.

"I wonder." Parker states, getting everyone's attention while she fires the last clip of her SMG into the monitors, making the lights and floating symbols disappear, "How exactly is that senile lunatic we came with doing?"

Sarge and Felix just stand there, staring each other down with their hands at their sides, fingers open and at the ready. All around them are the corpses of deck officers and soldiers who tried to escape the carnage. Then, they break the standoff. Felix manages to react first, grabbing a knife and throwing it at the aging colonel. He lets out a grunt of pain, and after firing his shotgun at Felix and failing to do any damage to Felix, holds his side.

"You think you can beat me? You are nothing more than an old fart who needs to be in a retirement home." Felix says, pulling out another knife and holding it in a throwing position, ready to throw another one. "What makes you think you can beat me now if you couldn't before?"

"Because, Felix…" Sarge says, standing back up, "I have something you don't. I don't kill people because I have to; I do what is right." He then rolls on the ground and fires a shotgun round into Felix's head. The mercenary recoils and falls backward. Sarge stands over him and points his shotgun down. "That, and I still got the touch. How you like me now, scumbag?"

Felix then goes back into action, sweeping Sarge's feet out from under him and pulling out his SAW gun. "You think you know what true war is? You don't, because you will always be a pathetic piece of shit in my eyes."

To Felix's surprise, Sarge chuckles. "Well, if you consider me scum, then I will take it."

Felix looks down at Sarge with confusion, only for him to look down at his belt and notice a UNSC-made sticky grenade on his belt. Suddenly, Sarge is pulled away quickly as the grenade goes off, leaving a gaping hole in his armor. Sarge towards all around and notices the squad of ODSTs standing there, their armor riddled with bullet holes but in good condition, with an entire group of unconscious troops floating overhead.

"Looks like you needed the help, colonel." Parker says flatly.

"Hehe. I knew you would jump in and see my amazing handiwork sometime." Sarge says, standing up.

"Come on! We need to go!" Ahsoka says, then starts running towards the Pelican with the other ODSTs, holding the Blues and Reds overhead. As Sarge follows them, he looks back to see Felix getting back up, his helmet fallen off and revealing his long face, short brown hair and dark brown eyes glaring at him with loathing.

"In my eyes, you will always be scum."

"Son, you've got issues; one of which is not dying. It's gotten old and boring at this point." Sarge says, then also runs onto the Pelican. The hatch closes up instantly and the Pelican lifts up off the ground and into open space.

Sarge decides to get up and walk to the front of the Pelican to see what exactly is going on. "Hey! What the fuck are you doing? You're not supposed to be up here!" The clone pilot shouts.

"Like hell I am. I want to see the enemy get annilated first-hand." Sarge barks back.

"You're going back, and that's… whoa." The pilot says. To both the pilot's and even Sarge's shock, the _Pillar of Winter_ rockets towards the Forerunner Sojourner Dreadnought, still getting hammered by the Republic ships. But what is truly shocking is that both of the massive docking bay doors are wide open and that a dozen UNSC ships of various classes, with the Paris-class frigates making up the vast majority.

They all go scatter in various directions as the _Pillar of Winter_ continues getting closer and closer to the dreadnought, colliding with it head-on. The explosion that results is so bright and powerful that the pilot and Sarge are forced to cover their eyes for a brief moment, feeling the transport get blown backwards violently.

While the entire crew is out cold, one of the frigates manages to fly close by and open up the hatches, allowing the Pelican to be pulled inside. The second it pulls into the docking bay, the frigate closes up and enters slipspace, along with the rest of the UNSC warships.

Ahsoka lets out a groan then sits up, as the hatch of the ship she's on is suddenly forced open and allows another squad of ODSTs inside. "Get them detained immediately." The leader of the group says, referring to the prisoners. His squad silently nods and starts dragging the still-unconscious Blues, Reds, and Malcolm. "Commander Tano, I thank you for your services on bringing these fugitives to justice."

"What in Sam Hill is going on?" Sarge shouts, running to the new group of ODSTs and following them outside the ship. "Don't get me wrong, that was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life, but I would like to know what just happened."

"I will tell them." Wash says, with Carolina at his side, "The _Pillar of Winter_ lost the needed amount of fuel to enter slipspace, so command decided to abandon ship and ram it into the Forerunner ship."

"Slow-mo! Life finds a way to make awesome shit like that slow-mo."

"Anyway, Admiral Winter and some humanoid robot named Fred died to make sure that we escaped." Wash finishes, ignoring Sarge's outburst.

"So, who do we fight now?" Sarge asks.

"No one." Ahsoka says, stepping forward. "Until we figure out what to do, we go to the rendezvous and lay low. In the end, all we can do is have hope."

The entire group just stands in a loose circle, silence in the air. "Oh! That is so lame." Grif says after walking over with Simmons.

Carolina lets out a groan and looks at the ground. "You have a way with ruining the moment."

* * *

 **December 17** **th**

 **2583**

 **05:15 UNSC time**

 **Elysium City**

 **Eridanus II**

* * *

Madam President Michelle Peterson sits in her office, in front of her desk made from oak imported from Earth and can already feel her eyes drooping in exhaustion.

After all, it was only a matter of hours after the fleet who escorted her to safety managed to escape to the rendezvous point, a place that is very ironic since this is the legendary homeworld of Master Chief.

While there are still plenty of UNSC civilians living in major places like the system's famous city called Luxor, there is officially a much heavier presence of UNSC troops, with several members of the Swords of Sanghelios also setting up on the planet while having a heavier colonization on the moon Ehilend.

A transmitter starts beeping in the middle of the president's desk, resulting in her sighing and pushing the button. A glass dome in the middle of her desk starts glowing blue and starts making a dozen transmissions at once of the remaining UNSC admirals, her second-in-command Lawrence Hood who recently became the senator for Eridanus II, and the Arbiter himself. "It is good to see friendly faces again, and alive no less." She says dryly.

"Agreed. We should be most grateful for that." Hood states.

"Alright. In the next rotation, we should start sending out probes to track down Republic troop movements and figure out what caused them to turn on us so suddenly."

"No need." Hood replies, "Remember that reporter droid that we re-programmed so as to spy on Palpatine's meetings? It's still active, and his special congress meeting is going on right now."

"Put it through now! We need to see this."

The Fleet Admiral nods to someone out of their sight and a thin holographic projection forms of the Galactic Senate, and focusing on Palpatine. The President had to resist flinching at seeing how hideous he now is, hidden underneath deep red robes.

"Our loyal clone troopers have contained this insurrection within the Jedi Temple and quelled uprisings on a thousand worlds." Palpatine is saying, much to everyone's disgust while the Senators start cheering for their Chancellor. "The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated. Any collaborators will share the same fate. These have been trying times, but we have passed the test. The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed, but I assure you my resolve has never been stronger. The war is over. The Separatists and the treacherous UNSC have been defeated, and the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. We stand on the threshold of a new beginning. In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, this Republic will be organized into the first Galactic Empire!" He then raises his hands, resulting in thunderous applause to come from the Senators. "For a safe and secure society, which I assure you, will last 10,000 years!"

"Shut it off." Peterson says, "I've seen enough."

The projection immediately shuts off, revealing the stunned and angered looks on their faces. "So, the Chancellor planned this." Arbiter says, "He planned on using those chips to wipe out the Jedi and frame them for treason."

The other admirals and Hood start arguing with each other on what needs to be done about this. After a good five minutes, Peterson has enough. "Silence!" They all oblige, quieting down once more. "Thank you. Now we know not to trust anything from this new Empire that just formed. Right now, start gathering up resources and finding ways to mass-produce weapons. Eventually, people will rise up against Palpatine, and when we do, we will do our damnest to make sure they strike the heaviest blow to Palpatine they can."

"We'll be ready for that day then." Hood says, nodding and his face hardening.

"Good. Get some rest." Once the transmissions curt out, she turns around and looks out the giant glass window at the Senator Building on the capitol city of Eridanus II. She stares at the bright scenery, with the planet's moon being visible even in daylight, with Warthogs and mass-produced Cyclops mechs wander around, establishing supplies and building up their military presence. Among the mech-pilots is the Master Chief, now named John, who has decided to finally step down from active duty in the UNSC, and is now going to teach new cadets how to fight along-side his oldest friend, Kelly. Captain Rex, leading the small task force of freed clones, are also piloting the mechs but having considerable trouble doing so. The Sanghili are also on the ground, helping the marines establish their basis and even trading weapons with each other. She even notices the Reds and Blues standing around and talking outside one building, with Tucker no doubt hitting on Sister, all while former Agents Washington and Carolina watch it happen.

"Today, we took a massive blow. Our people have suffered once more, and for what? An old man who wishes to rule over the universe itself with an iron hand? Well, hear my words, **Emperor**. Send your best troops, hit us with everything you've got; we will be waiting for you. You may conquer Earth and countless worlds loyal to us, but we, the UNSC, will endure. We endured the Covenant, we endured the return of the Forerunners, and we even endured your precious clone legions. This is Madam President Michelle Peterson, and let it be known that on December 17th, 2583, that I say that if you send your best men, we will not go quietly into the night; we will give you a fight unlike anything you have seen before."

With that, she touches the glass window and it suddenly clouds up, preventing her from being able to look outside once more. She then stands up and leaves her office. She walks into the elevator that will take her to her personal quarters, and stares at her office once more before pressing the button.

'I have not felt this good in a long time.' She thinks as she is laying on her side, staring at the empty ceiling before she drifts off to sleep.

* * *

 _AN:_ Thank you, God! I have enjoyed writing this story, but life has made it so hard to actually get any real work done on it.

Well, thank you all for reading this story, and through the dead parts of this story, but I especially thank you all for the positive reviews you have all left and the support you have given me.

Thank you, everybody, and I will now take my last bow for this story.

Disclaimer: Halo belongs to Bungie and 343 Industries, while Star Wars belongs to George Lucas and Disney (I don't care, George Lucas will always have credit for Star Wars in my book).

PS: As of March 18th, 2018, I declare that there will be absolutely no continuation of this story. Sorry. :(.

I originally planned on doing more and making this a series, but the dude I was planning on continuing the series with *cough*Soron66*cough* decided to completely block me because he didn't like the help I tried to provide on one of his stories.

Also, I would like to say something. This was originally meant to be a serious story, but now that I look at many of the other ideas that I have done and look forward to doing, I have changed my mind. Crack-fic, an attempt at Halo and Star Wars, call it what you will.


End file.
